Prabowo proposes bringing in foreign doctors, DPR insists on technology transfer

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IX, Charles Honoris, has cautioned that President Prabowo Subianto’s proposal to bring in specialist doctors from abroad must be accompanied by technology and knowledge transfer if implemented. Speaking at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday, he confirmed that the Health Law permits and regulates foreign specialist doctors to work in Indonesia, but on a limited basis. “They can be brought in on a limited basis for specific needs, but they must also transfer technology to domestic doctors,” Charles said. He stated that the restrictions set out in the Health Law ensure that foreign doctors brought to Indonesia are limited to certain specialisations and for a set period. Furthermore, healthcare facilities wishing to bring in foreign doctors must obtain direct permission from the Ministry of Health, he said. Charles reminded that foreign specialist doctors can work in Indonesia for a maximum of four years, with a work permit provision of two years that can be extended once for an additional two years. During the Government’s Introductory Statement on the 2027 State Budget Bill and Financial Note on Friday, President Prabowo Subianto stressed that the shortage of general practitioners and specialist doctors in Indonesia is increasingly urgent to address. “If necessary, we can invite doctors from other countries to practise here for a limited time,” Prabowo said. The proposal, he said, is to ensure increasingly timely health services for the public. The President detailed that Indonesia still needs an additional 84,781 general practitioners, 55,712 specialist doctors for 481 districts/cities, and 127,580 dentists for 505 districts/cities. To address this, he said the government has opened nine new medical faculties and 170 specialist and sub-specialist study programmes, both university-based and hospital-based.