The Reason The Minister Of Health Brought Foreign Doctors To Indonesia, Rejected By Many Parties

The reason the Minister of Health brought in a foreign doctor (Photo: DOK ANTARA)

YOGYAKARTA - The plan of the Minister of Health (Menkes) to bring in foreign doctors has invited a polemic. This issue got hotter after news emerged that the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga (Unair) was dismissed from his position in connection with this. So what is the reason for the Minister of Health to bring in a foreign doctor?

Prof. Dr. Budi Santoso was removed from his position as Dean of FK Unair for rejecting the discourse of the Minister of Health who wanted to bring foreign doctors to Indonesia. Prof. Bus loudly rejected the plan because he was of the opinion that 82 Faculty of Medicine in the country was able to produce quality doctors who were no less than foreign doctors.

The Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, dismissed his involvement in the dismissal of Prof. Budi Santoso from the position of Dean of FK Unair. He said that the Ministry of Health did not have the authority to intervene in Unair's decision. He said that his party did not communicate with PTN in Surabaya regarding this matter.

Regarding the discourse from the Ministry of Health, Budi Sadikin explained the reasons why he planned to bring a foreign doctor to Indonesia. The Minister of Health revealed that the discourse had been discussed with President Jokowi.

The discourse of the Minister of Health bringing foreign doctors to Indonesia has become a hot topic of conversation to date. Many people want to know why the Minister of Health brought in foreign doctors in the midst of many medical graduates from within the country who were considered competent and no less qualified than foreign health experts.

The following are some of the reasons why the Minister of Health plans to bring foreign doctors to Indonesia:

Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the government's main goal in inviting foreign doctors is to save about 12 thousand baby lives every year who are at risk of dying from congenital heart disorders.

"That's because at this time we have more than 12 thousand babies who have congenital heart disorders," said Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin after an internal meeting with President Joko Jokowi at the Jakarta Presidential Palace Complex on Tuesday (2/7).

Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health stipulates requirements and limits for medical and health workers from foreign nationals (WNA) who want to practice in Indonesia. According to Minister of Health Budi, the arrival of this foreign doctor actually aims to help save the baby's life with a heart disorder.

Budi explained that doctors in Indonesia are only able to have heart surgery for around 6,000 patients per year, while there are around 12 thousand babies who have the potential to have congenital heart disorders. Therefore, handling congenital heart disorders requires immediate surgery.

"These six thousand babies, if not handled, have a high risk of dying. If we wait, the risk will be higher," said Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

Budi believes that doctors in Indonesia are able to have heart surgery. However, with the number of cases reaching 6 thousand patients per year, the number of doctors in Indonesia is not sufficient to handle all these patients.

"We can't wait. We bring in foreign doctors to save the lives of these 6 thousand babies and 12 thousand mothers who will be sad if the baby is then congenital heart defects," said Budi Sadikin.

Although it aims well to save more hope for the lives of babies in Indonesia, the Minister of Health's plan to bring in foreign doctors has also drawn controversy. The discourse has not been fully accepted by several parties who associate it with the quality of foreign and domestic doctors.

One of the parties who firmly rejected the plan was the Faculty of Medicine Unair. The state campus in Surabaya assesses that there are still many doctors in Indonesia who are qualified or have competencies that are no less than foreign doctors.

Those are some of the reasons why the Minister of Health brought foreign doctors to Indonesia. This discourse is still controversial today. A number of parties loudly refused and linked it to the availability of doctors in Indonesia who were no less than foreign health workers. Also read that the Ministry of Health was not involved in dismissing the Dean of Unair.

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