Yurizal Tri Chaerawan's Death Seen as Momentum to Strengthen Healthcare Quality and Social Media Ethics
The death of Yurizal Tri Chaerawan has drawn attention from various circles. The incident is considered a momentum to strengthen the quality of healthcare services while enhancing ethics in the use of social media, both by the public and healthcare workers.
Legal expert Professor Henry Indraguna stated that the government has provided constitutional space for the public to convey criticism of public services, including healthcare. He noted that criticism must be delivered responsibly, while all parties should prioritise ethics and empathy in their responses.
“In a state of law, every citizen has the constitutional right to express opinions. Article 28E, paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia guarantees the right of every person to express opinions, while Article 28H, paragraph (1) guarantees the right to obtain proper healthcare services,” he said on Thursday, 6 August 2026.
According to Henry, criticism conveyed by patients regarding healthcare services is a form of public participation guaranteed by the constitution, provided it is made in good faith, based on personal experience, and does not contain slander or false information.
“Conversely, medical and healthcare personnel are professions that carry public trust. In addition to being bound by laws and regulations, they are also bound by professional codes of ethics that require respect for patient dignity, maintaining confidentiality, upholding professionalism, and prioritising empathy in every interaction, whether direct or through social media,” he said.
He assessed that the freedom of expression held by healthcare workers must still align with professional responsibility, particularly in safeguarding patient honour.
“From the perspective of cyber criminal law, if a comment made through electronic media contains elements of insult or attacks a person’s honour as stipulated in Law Number 1 of 2024 concerning the Second Amendment to the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, then such an act can become the object of law enforcement,” he stated.
Henry expressed hope that all parties would take the incident as a lesson to continuously improve the quality of public services, strengthen the professionalism of healthcare workers, and maintain public trust in the national healthcare system.
“The law must serve as the guardian of justice, while the medical profession must remain the guardian of humanity. When law and ethics go hand in hand, public trust will be preserved. Conversely, when empathy is lost from healthcare services, what is wounded is not only the patient but also the dignity of the profession itself,” he said.