6 Died, the Ministry of Health Requires 10,564 Internship Doctors to Undergo Mental Health Screening

Director General of Health Human Resources of the Ministry of Health Yuli Farianti in Jakarta, Wednesday (29/7/2026). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) requires 10,564 internship doctors to undergo mental health screening and a comprehensive health examination as part of the national evaluation of the Indonesian doctor internship program (PIDI). This policy was taken after six program participants died throughout 2026 based on the results of an investigation conducted by the Ministry of Health.

During the evaluation process which took place from July 30 to August 14, 2026, all PIDI participants were temporarily exempted from service activities at hospitals and health centers. This step aims to provide time for participants to undergo physical and mental health examinations optimally while preventing fatigue due to workload.

Director General of Health Human Resources (SDMK) of the Ministry of Health, Yuli Farianti, said the policy was a follow-up to the results of an audit that found congenital diseases and excessive working hours (overtime) as factors contributing to a number of cases of internship doctor deaths.

"All activities of internship participants will be suspended and temporarily exempted. The goal is for them to be calm, not exhausted, so that the two main medical check-up (MCU) tests and mental health screening provide valid results," said Yuli, quoted by Antara Jakarta, Wednesday, July 29.

The Ministry of Health has scheduled a mental health screening on August 3-4, 2026 using a special psychological instrument. Furthermore, participants will undergo a thorough physical health examination, including a chest X-ray, on August 5-7, 2026.

The results of the examination will be evaluated together with the Indonesian Medical Internship Committee (KIKI) to determine the follow-up for each participant.

"After the results come out, I will evaluate how many people must be rested first. If the results of the logbook turn out to have met the achievement, then the internship program will be completed immediately," he added.

In addition to evaluating participants who are undergoing the program, the Ministry of Health has also tightened the requirements for prospective intern doctors. Starting from the next period, each participant is required to take the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) psychology test before being placed on the internship vehicle.

According to Yuli, the policy was taken after the investigation team found that there were participants who passed the physical health examination, but had a history of mental health disorders that then recurred when they faced pressure during the program.

"The MMPI absolute mental test will be carried out before the internship runs. We found a case where the MCU results were good, but the participant had a history of mental health disorders. He recovered during the MCU, but relapsed in the middle of the internship task pressure," said Yuli.

The Ministry of Health also highlighted the weak supervision at health service facilities that are the location of internship doctor assignments. According to Yuli, hospitals and health centers should conduct a health check-up when participants start duty.

"When participants come to the rides, their health must be checked again by each ride. This is something that has not been implemented optimally and we really need to emphasize it," he said.

He added that the evaluation period until August 14, 2026, is an important momentum to find out whether there are health disorders that appear during the participants' assignments.

"The implementation of this evaluation until August 14 is very crucial. Some have been serving in health centers or hospitals for 6 months, perhaps there are health conditions that are exposed during their duties," continued Yuli.

In addition to strengthening supervision at health facilities, the Ministry of Health asked for the active involvement of accompanying doctors, colleagues, universities, the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), and parents of participants in monitoring the health condition of internship doctors.

Parents are also asked to ensure that their children undergo medical check-ups at facilities that have been validated by the Ministry of Health, especially for participants who are undergoing therapy or have a history of certain diseases.

"If communication goes well, incidents like this will not happen again. The condition of relapse must be detected quickly by the vehicle and colleagues, don't be late. So far, we at the center have often been surprised because the reports that come in are always late. Therefore, now I ask to embrace IDI which oversees all members in the field," concluded Yuli.