Three Internship Doctors Die, FKUI Professor Highlights Health System Preparedness
Chairman of the Board of Professors at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia (FKUI), Theddeus O.H. Prasetyono, regrets the deaths of three internship doctors participating in the Indonesian Doctor Internship Programme (PIDI) over the period from February to March 2026. He views these events as an important reminder of the need to strengthen the healthcare worker protection system, particularly for young doctors on duty.
According to reports from the Ministry of Health, each case involved different medical conditions: measles with heart and brain complications, suspected anaemia, and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) with shock complications (Dengue Shock Syndrome).
According to Theddeus, the passing of these doctors represents profound grief for the medical world. He believes these situations could have been prevented if anticipatory measures had been implemented more optimally from the outset.
“One of my colleagues, who happened to be undergoing internship alongside several others, had to face a tragic situation that ended in sorrow,” said Theddus during the Medicine UI webinar on Wednesday (1/4).
He added that such cases should not have occurred. Moreover, these doctors fell while carrying out healthcare service duties.
“Indeed, these efforts feel somewhat belated because they should not have needed to happen—medical officials falling while fighting diseases—but such is the reality,” he stated.
Theddeus also highlighted the weakness in preparedness for facing diseases that have long been known, such as measles. He stressed the importance of increasing vigilance and risk mitigation systems, especially for medical personnel on the front lines.
“In many situations, we do not anticipate well. However, these efforts certainly have tremendous benefits because we all do not want others to have to fall while dealing with diseases,” he said.
He hopes that this incident becomes a momentum for a thorough evaluation of the internship system, including aspects of protection, mentoring, and occupational safety for young doctors.