Bawaslu Does Not Question PB IDI Not Involved In The Health Test Of Presidential And Vice Presidential Candidates

The Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) does not question the decision of the General Elections Commission (KPU) which does not involve the Executive Board of the Indonesian Doctors Association (PB IDI) in conducting health tests for prospective presidential and vice presidential candidates.

The chairman of Bawaslu, Rahmat Bagja stated, his party did not want to intervene in the KPU which did not involve PB IDI even though in the previous election PB IDI was involved in the health test of reading the president and reading the vice president. Moreover, the KPU has also decided to take the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital as a location to carry out health tests.

"As long as it doesn't violate the existing rules, it doesn't matter. The question is, is there a must or not? If it complies with the rules, if there is no obligation, it doesn't matter," said Rahmat Bagja at the RSPAD, Jakarta, Saturday, October 21.

The head of the KPU Technical Division, Idham Holik, revealed that the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital is the only presidential hospital. Therefore, the quality of the doctors in the RSPAD should not be doubted in carrying out health tests for reading the president and vice president.

In addition, Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital is also the only hospital that always conducts health checks on presidential and vice presidential candidates during the election. So this is not the only time," he said.

He said the KPU had coordinated with the Ministry of Health before appointing the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital to hold a health test for presidential and vice presidential candidates. Then, the Ministry of Health recommended three government hospitals, namely Harapan Kita Heart and Blood Vessel Hospital, Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital and Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo.

Of the three alternative recommendationd government-owned hospitals, continued Idham, the KPU finally decided to choose the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital. He emphasized that the request for recommendations to the Ministry of Health was in accordance with Article 227 letter c of Law Number 7 of 2017 in conjunction with Article 18 paragraph 1 letter d of KPU Regulation Number 19 of 2023.

Previously, the Deputy Chairperson of PB IDI, Slamet Budiarto regretted the KPU's decision to appoint RSPAD to hold a health test for presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the 2024 presidential election. He said the KPU's decision was the first time since 2004.

Because so far, the KPU has appointed IDI to form a team of health examiners for presidential and vice presidential candidates. The independent team formed by IDI then appointed a proper hospital and was able to check the health of the presidential and vice presidential candidates