Indonesia is still facing a shortage of specialist doctors.
The Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) revealed that, as of December 2023, Indonesia only had 47,454 specialist doctors, with a 0.17 per 1,000 population ratio. Ideally, around 78,000 doctors are needed to serve the country’s 280 million population.
Dr. Aditya Darmasurya, Policy Analyst for Primary Health Benefits Financing at the Deputy for Benefit Guarantee Policy, BPJS Kesehatan, stated that many regions outside Java are in dire need of specialist doctors to meet healthcare demands.
“We are currently facing a shortage of specialist doctors,” Dr. Darmasurya said at the 5th International Symposium on Congenital Anomaly and Developmental Biology (ISCADB) held by the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing (FK-KMK UGM) on Friday (Nov. 15) at the Eastparc Hotel Ballroom.
In light of this shortage, Dr. Darmasurya emphasized the need for greater support and policies that empower primary care doctors.
Primary care doctors are general practitioners who have received advanced training and competencies. This approach aims to improve the handling of congenital anomalies more effectively.
“We see the need to enhance the quality of healthcare services. Yes, there is currently a shortage of specialist doctors across Indonesia, but we also recognize the critical role primary care doctors play in maintaining the resilience of our national health insurance program,” he said.
He further stated that comprehensive policies are required, focusing not only on one aspect but also on supply and handling congenital anomalies to improve healthcare quality.
Dr. Darmasurya called for more support and policy development to bolster primary care doctors.
The Director of Health Workforce Utilization at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Anna Kurniati, highlighted the crucial role of medical colleges in improving healthcare services, especially in managing congenital anomalies—disorders present from birth.
Each college plays an important role in supporting health transformation efforts. It is tasked with developing competency and training standards and preparing national standards for medical professionals.
She explained that the Ministry of Health would collaborate with the LPDP of the Ministry of Finance to launch a scholarship program to increase the number of pediatric surgeons in Indonesia.
“We are collaborating with LPDP to initiate a scholarship program with the goal of increasing the availability and distribution of specialists and subspecialists, especially pediatric surgeons,” she explained.
Professor Gunadi of FK-KMK UGM stated that the 5th ISCADB would bring together experts to discuss various issues related to congenital anomalies or birth defects suffered by patients.
Some of the speakers include Professor Motoshi Wada from Tohoku University, Iren from Precise Singapore, Professor Keita Terui from Jichi Medical University, and Professor Loh from Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Author: Hanif
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya