Power Relations and the Protection of Healthcare Workers
The Criminal Code accommodates the concept of social punishment. After a series of deaths of junior doctors due to excessive workloads, the public was again shocked by the tragic death of Dr. Icha—the nickname for Dr. Eliza Princila Utami Pakaenoni—in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The local doctor, who had returned to serve her home region’s healthcare needs, reportedly died by suicide. Dr. Icha, who was on duty in the Emergency Department (IGD) of Leona Hospital in Kefamenanu, NTT, is believed to have suffered severe depression after being intimidated by a member of the local parliament while on duty.
The tragic incident that claimed Dr. Icha’s life began with tension in the emergency room. In mid-June 2026, Dr. Icha was on duty receiving a child patient referred for a green snake bite. The family requested that the child be injected with anti-venom. However, because the hospital did not have the medication in stock and medical calculations indicated the injection was not necessary, Dr. Icha decided not to administer it as requested by the family.
Amid the debate between the patient’s family and Dr. Icha, several members of the North Central Timor Regency (TTU) DPRD arrived and pressured her regarding the treatment that should be given to the patient. The situation escalated when these legislative members allegedly shouted, hurled insults, and verbally intimidated her in public. As a professional medical worker adhering to sound clinical judgement, Dr. Icha refused to be pressured. Although the medical action she took proved to be correct and successfully saved the patient, the intimidation she endured ultimately had fatal consequences. The unfortunate doctor chose a tragic way out: suicide.
The case of the doctor’s death in NTT is not just a sad tragedy for her family. It is a social tragedy that lifts the veil on how healthcare workers in the regions often become victims of abuse of authority and the arrogance of public officials. One can only imagine the feelings and position of a doctor like Icha, who was carrying out her professional duties, when suddenly confronted by individuals who placed themselves as superior figures wielding the power of elected representatives.
In handling patients, panicked and emotional reactions from family members are common in emergency situations. Every patient’s family naturally wants the best care for their sick relative. However, making the attending doctor a target for emotional outbursts—including shouting, pointing fingers, and uttering threats—is unequivocally wrong. This is an intolerable form of arrogance. The legislative members who committed the intimidation were certainly aware of their superior power. They dared to pressure a medical worker with insults and threats because they felt entitled to do so.
What happened to Dr. Icha shows that healthcare workers are vulnerable to mistreatment. They are also susceptible to bullying and intimidation from parties who perceive themselves as having a power advantage. In Dr. Icha’s case, it is particularly alarming that the perpetrators were individuals who should represent the people. These elected representatives, who ought to uphold morality and dignity, instead displayed their superiority through intimidating behaviour. In this case, the law seemed blunt and arrogance reigned supreme. The arrogant actions of these legislative members inevitably demoralise doctors, forcing them to work under a shadow of fear rather than focusing on saving lives.
Understanding why a doctor would choose suicide requires in-depth research. However, it is clear that a doctor is also a human being. Someone who tries to perform their duties well, only to be met with arrogance from a patient’s family, cannot always cope. As a human, Dr. Icha likely experienced severe depression due to deep trauma. It is not impossible that she felt her professionalism was trampled and her honour degraded. The mental burden was so overwhelming that she was hospitalised before finally returning to her family’s home in Kupang Regency. At her parents’ residence, the young doctor who had willingly returned to her hometown to serve was found dead, having hanged herself.
The death of a doctor is a great loss to society. Amidst a situation where Indonesia’s doctor-to-population ratio is still far from ideal, every incident of a doctor dying due to mental pressure or violence means thousands of future patients lose the potential to receive proper healthcare. The case experienced by Dr. Icha opens our eyes to the critical importance of protection for healthcare workers. The lack of adequate protection from hospital management, coupled with the arrogant attitudes of certain officials, often creates a highly toxic work environment.
Ideally, the emergency room should be a sterile and safe zone for medical personnel to perform their duties. Unfortunately, many hospitals in the regions currently lack adequate security systems to protect doctors from the wrath of patients’ families or influential figures. When a doctor is shouted at, terrorised, or even labelled a ‘stupid doctor’ in public for adhering to correct medical procedures, their integrity and morale can instantly crumble. This heartbreaking event must serve as a turning point for the medical world and the protection system for healthcare workers in Indonesia. Protection for doctors and healthcare workers in both remote and urban areas must be guaranteed by binding legal instruments.