West Papua prepares medical scholarships for indigenous Papuan students
Manokwari (ANTARA) - The West Papua provincial government is preparing a special medical education scholarship programme for indigenous Papuans (OAP) as an effort to overcome the shortage of doctors, particularly in remote regions.
Head of the West Papua Education Office, Barnabas Dowansiba, in Manokwari on Wednesday, stated that the scholarship is part of the West Papua Smart Programme, with funding support of around Rp100 million per person per year.
According to him, the cooperation agreement signing is based on the provincial government’s evaluation of the previous year’s programme implementation, as most education aid recipients did not return to their home areas after graduating.
The OAP medical education scholarship is currently in the stage of preparing standard operating procedures (SOP), including determining the recipient quota, which will be adjusted to the regional needs and the number of applicants. “After everything is complete, we will conduct socialisation, then open registrations. It will start running in April 2026,” he said.
Barnabas explained that the medical scholarship is only given to active OAP students, requiring them to attach a certificate from their respective universities, student ID cards, and transcripts.
The provincial government has also coordinated with seven districts regarding the placement of medical graduates who received education funding assistance to fill vacancies for medical personnel in health service facilities.
“Because the initial university admission fees are not covered by the provincial government,” said Barnabas.
He cited examples of Arfak Mountains District and South Manokwari District, which still lack doctors in community health centres (puskemas), thus requiring a quick response from local governments to address the issue.
“Once again, I emphasise that recipients must sign an agreement. Because in previous years, we have funded them, but after graduating, they do not want to return to serve,” Barnabas stated.