State Secretary Reveals President Orders Healthcare Workers Deployed to 4,000 Community Health Centres

President Prabowo Subianto has instructed the Health Ministry (Kemenkes) to meet healthcare worker requirements across approximately 4,000 community health centres (puskesmas) in disadvantaged, frontier and outlying areas (3T). The instruction was conveyed by State Secretary (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin at the Defence Ministry office in Central Jakarta on Tuesday (17 March 2026).

“We have also asked the Health Minister to conduct a census of our healthcare worker needs, particularly in the 3T regions,” said Prasetyo during the Presidential Strategic Programme Coordination Meeting attended by several Red and White Cabinet ministers.

Prasetyo explained that the government is focusing attention on meeting healthcare worker requirements, particularly in 3T regions. According to reports he received, approximately 4,000 of the roughly 10,000 puskesmas distributed across the country still lack adequate medical staff, including general practitioners and dentists.

He assessed that the shortages are most pronounced in 3T regions, which have historically faced limited healthcare access. “The Health Minister reported that of the approximately 10,000 puskesmas, roughly 4,000 still lack medical staff, doctors, and particularly face severe dentist shortages,” said Prasetyo.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has formally announced its efforts to meet medical staff requirements in 3T regions, including through a new incentive distribution scheme for healthcare workers, particularly specialist doctors.