IDI Denies Accusations of Being a Superbody Organization, Monopoly on Medical Education and Practice

Deputy General Chair II of the Indonesian Doctors Association (PB IDI) Mahesa Paranadipa Maikel/ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Executive Board of the Indonesian Doctors Association (PB IDI) has denied accusations that the organization is a Superbody institution that has power in the education process to practice medicine.

"Our question is, why did the IDI statement suddenly appear that its power is so great today? Where did that statement come from because it is not based on the facts contained in the law and the facts on the ground", said Deputy General Chair II of the Indonesian Doctors Association (PB IDI), Mahesa Paranadipa Maikel, at the IDI Secretariat Building Jakarta, Antara, Tuesday, December 13th?

Mahesa emphasized that IDI does not have a dominant role in medical affairs from upstream to downstream.

IDI's role, he explained, was based on the implementation mandated by Law (UU) No. 20 of 2013 concerning Medical Education and Law no. 29 of 2004 concerning Medical Practice.

Furthermore, he explained that IDI only plays a role in two places in a whole series of processes from education to medical practice, which is related to the process of issuing competency certificates from the Collegium and recommendations for licenses to practice by IDI Branches.

Competency certificates from the Collegium are obtained after medical students graduate. Mahesa explained that the competency test to obtain a certificate was held by a national competency test committee in which the Ministry of Education and Culture was involved.

“If he has just graduated, he will graduate. After graduation, he will receive a professional certificate, then he will receive a competence certificate from the Collegium", he said.

While recommendations for practice permits by the IDI Branch are obtained after doctors obtain a Registration Certificate (STR) from the Indonesian Medical Council (KKI).

Mahesa said that currently a recommendation from a local professional organization or IDI branch is needed when a doctor wants to practice in a certain area.

“Suppose there is a doctor who graduated from Jakarta, he wants to practice in Sulawesi or Kalimantan. He must first get a recommendation from the local IDI. The recommendation is then addressed to the Health Office or PTSP", said Mahesa.

He added that so far the IDI has not been concerned about this not-so-large portion of the role in the entire process of medical affairs. The most important thing, said Mahesa, is that the production of doctors in Indonesia can be of high quality.

“The role of professional organizations here (in the cycle of medical affairs) is not that big. Then if there are words that IDI is Superbody, this is a fact, this is the implementation of two laws, namely the Law on Medical Practice and the Law on Medical Education", said Mahesa.

According to Mahesa, so far his party has not found any problems in issuing recommendations for practice permits between the IDI Branch and the local government. However, he acknowledged that there were several cases of fellow doctors who experienced lengthy processing of recommendations for practice permits.

"The PB IDI's job is to issue regulations, that we already have rules, no later than seven working days for the recommendation to be issued. So if there is a complicated recommendation, it can be reported to the Regional IDI and can even be reported to the PB IDI because we don't want service. in disturbed areas", said Mahesa.