Speaking at the launch of a hospital-based specialist doctor program on Monday (6/5/24,) Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that currently there are about 2,700 specialist doctors produced annually, which is a long way from the 29 to 30,000 specialists needed, according to reporting from Antara News.
“It (means that to meet the requirements), more than 10 years is needed. It happens every year. In comparison, England’s population, which is 50 million, a sixth of Indonesia’s, produces 12,000 specialist doctors per year,” he said.
The minister stated that Indonesia had continued to reel from the uneven distribution of specialist doctors for the last 79 years, which is why the government has worked along with the Institute of Health Metric Evaluation (IHME) for creating policies to address the issue, says Antara News.
He pointed out that based on IHME’s calculations, which included the demographic aspect, such as the ages of doctors, and epidemiological factors, Indonesia needs some 29,000 specialist doctors, that’s why the hospital-based specialist education system, which is applied worldwide, is being adopted by Indonesia.
The minister said that currently, not only the 24 medical faculties in Indonesia will educate the doctors but also the 420 hospitals appointed for the education, pointing out that usually, such type of education is quite expensive. However, in this program, the students do not need to pay, and they are receiving the same benefits as other workers, according to Antara News
“They get medical protection, legal protection, sensible working hours, and their status is not a lowly one,” he said.
The minister explained that to ensure the quality of education, his administration collaborates with colleges in Indonesia as well as global experts to form the curriculum.
According to data from the ministry’s Directorate General of Health Services, the quota for the first batch of hospital-based specialist doctor education is 38, and six ministry-owned hospitals will serve as pilots for the program.
Source: Antara News
Stock image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay
