PB IDI Reminds Health Checks For Presidential And Vice Presidential Candidates Must Be Independent

Will the presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo and the vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD greet his supporters after registering as participants in the 2024 presidential election at the KPU Building, Jakarta, Thursday (19/10/2023). (ANTARA PHOTO/Rifqi Raihan Firdaus/app/aww.)

JAKARTA - The Executive Board of the Indonesian Doctors Association (PB IDI) reminded that the process of examining the health of prospective presidential and vice presidential candidates (candidates-cawapres) in the 2024 presidential election must be independent and implicit.

"Health status (candidate-cawapres) must be stated by the professional medical team and the initials (assessing physicalians) which were officially and specifically formed, with members of expert doctors who are competent and have high credibility in their professional environment," said the former Head of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidate Examining Team in the 2014 Presidential Election. Zubairi Djoerban was reported by ANTARA, Friday, October 20.

Zubairi explained that the President and Vice President are selected citizens who have a big responsibility so that they require certain health status (jasmani and spiritual) in order to be able to carry out their duties in the interests of the state.

"If there is no inability in the presidential or vice presidential candidates, it will be stated that no risk factors will be found that could result in the inability to carry out obligations as President and Vice President," he said.

If in the presidential or vice presidential candidates it is found that one of the inadequacies in the health examination, it will be stated that it has a risk factor that can result in the inability to carry out obligations as president and vice president.

PB IDI emphasized that the assessment of health status was carried out through a series of examinations with protocols according to medical professional standards. Information on the results of the health assessment is the opinion of the health assessment team submitted to the General Elections Commission (KPU) to be taken into consideration.

Chairman of PB IDI, Moh. Adib Khumaidi said that his party has always been a strategic partner of the KPU to assist the assessment and examination of the health tests of candidate pairs in the presidential election.

"Since the end of the reform, namely the general elections in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019, PB IDI has always been involved in the health checks of presidential and vice presidential candidates where the examination team was formed from specialist doctors appointed by their associations," said Adib.

The health checks use technical guidelines for assessing the mental and physical abilities of the presidential and vice presidential candidates compiled by PB IDI which already has copyright at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights with number 000499341.

In the technical guidelines, it is stated that the health assessment of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates aims to assess the health of the prospective candidates as mandated in the 1945 Constitution and Law Number 42 of 2008 concerning the General Election of the President and Vice President.

The health check was carried out by taking into account the principles that met objective requirements based on evidence-based medical science.

"The health status required by the holder of the presidential and vice president positions does not have to be free from illness or disability, but at least they must be able to carry out daily physical activities independently without meaningful obstacles, and have no disease which is expected to result in physical loss in the next five years," Adib said.

In addition, presidential and vice-presidential candidates must also have mental health so that they do not lose their ability to observe, analyze, make decisions, and communicate them for the benefit of the community.

Previously, the KPU scheduled the pair for presidential and vice presidential candidates Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar (Cak Imin) and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD this weekend, namely 21-22 October 2023 at the Gatot Subroto Army Central Hospital (RSPAD).

This was conveyed by KPU Chairman Hasyim Asy'ari after registering for presidential and vice-presidential candidates at the KPU office, Jakarta, Thursday (19/10).

"Based on the discussion of the meeting between the KPU and the health examination team at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital, for prospective pairs of candidates who are registered at the first opportunity, a medical examination will be carried out at the RSPAD on Saturday, October 21, 2023," said Hasyim.*