Thousands of Medical Graduates Fail Competency Exams, Minister Flags Quota Cuts

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that many doctors who have graduated with a medical degree subsequently fail the competency examination administered by health faculties in Indonesia. “If a faculty graduates many medical students but they keep failing the competency exam, it means their quota should be reduced until they can truly improve their educational quality,” Budi said in Senayan, Jakarta. He revealed that the rate of exam retakers remains high, with 63% taking the exam fewer than three times. Approximately 37%, or nearly 1,000 individuals, have failed three times, and around 297 people will permanently lose their right to graduate if they fail once more. Regarding financing, the ministry received complaints that students who fail the competency exam and are no longer in school still have to pay tuition fees, sometimes at 30% or 50% of the rate, and also bear tutoring costs. Budi proposed that if a student fails certain competencies, they should not be obliged to repeat all subjects, only the ones they failed. “We are also discussing with the Indonesian Health Council whether it is possible to only retake the failed competencies,” he said. The minister noted that the gap in the need for general practitioners in the regions remains very high, with an estimated national shortage of 93,200 general practitioners over the next decade unless production is accelerated. Approximately 12,000 to 14,000 general practitioners graduate annually.