Minister Of Health: Foreign Doctors Are Not Signed To Compete With Local Doctors

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin gave a statement to reporters at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (2/7/2024). BETWEEN/Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga/am.

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the purpose of foreign doctors being brought to Indonesia was not to compete with local doctors.

"It's not a matter of competitiveness, this is a problem of saving the lives of 300 thousand Indonesians who suffered a stroke, 250 thousand who had a heart attack, 6,000 babies who most likely died every year," Budi said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 3.

He explained that for almost 80 years of independence, Indonesia still lacks specialists, and the most empty are dentists. In addition, he said, distribution was also lacking, such as 65 percent of health centers in the Remote Area of the Islands Border (DTPK) which experienced a vacancy of 9 types of health workers.

Therefore, his party brought in doctors from abroad, as was done in collaboration with Adam Malik Hospital and Saudi Arabia, to provide surgery for Medan children who have congenital heart disease.

Budi assessed that this effort could also accelerate the transfer of cardiovascular torus surgery for local doctors.

Previously, Budi said the government's main mission to bring in foreign doctors was to save about 12 thousand infants' lives per year who were at risk of dying from congenital heart disorders.

The Minister of Health said that the ability of doctors in Indonesia to perform heart surgery is only around 6,000 patients per year, while treatment of congenital heart disorders requires rapid surgery.

Budi believes that Indonesian doctors are able to overcome heart surgery, but with a rate of cases reaching 6 thousand patients per year, Indonesia's quota of doctors is not enough.

The Minister of Health acknowledged that the policy, although it aims to save more lives of the babies, has not been fully accepted by a number of parties who associate this with the quality of foreign and domestic doctor services.