Bullying PPDS Already Worrying Until Extortion, DPR: This Is A Crime!

A photo reporter took a picture of the atmosphere of one of the Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University (UNDIP) buildings in the complex area of Dr. Kariadi Hospital, Semarang City, Central Java, Thursday (15/8/2024). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The results of the investigation, dr. Aulia Risma, who is suspected of committing suicide because she could not stand being a victim of bullying, found new facts, namely that there was a burglary by a senior of Rp. 20-40 million. The Indonesian House of Representatives also urged the Government to immediately reform the Specialist Education Program (PPDS) which is known to be thick with bullying elements.

"Restrictions in educational circles can no longer be taken lightly. Reform of specialist medical education systems and very strict supervision are absolutely necessary," said Member of Commission IX Arzeti Bilbina, Monday, September 1.

The results of a temporary investigation from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) are known, the late dr. Aulia is often hit by her seniors as much as Rp. 20-40 million. The burglary occurred since the first semester of July-November 2022.

According to the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) investigation, the money 'paved' by seniors to dr. Aulia and her juniors with a nominal value of up to Rp. 40 million turned out to be used to rent the services of freelance writers to make academic papers and pay OBs. Arzeti said this problem had entered the criminal realm.

"This case must be of special concern because this is a form of extortion, it is criminal and very disturbing. There must be criminal responsibility. This is very worrying because bullying is no longer a matter of physical and mental, but extortion as well," he said.

According to Arzeti, the dr. Aulia case became a hard slap for the specialist doctor's identification education system. Moreover, this bullying occurs in a professional environment that is highly appreciated by many people, namely doctors.

"This case must be a momentum for all parties to improve. Bullying in the educational environment, especially in the medical field, greatly damages the process of character formation and professional quality of prospective doctors who will serve the community," explained Arzeti.

Demand for money outside of the stipulated education costs is considered a serious ethical violation. This, said Arzeti, shows that there are unhealthy practices and harms many students specializing in doctors.

"Unnatural demand for money shows injustice in access to education. Not all students have the same financial capacity, so practices like this can hinder underprivileged students from continuing their studies," he said.

Arzeti also emphasized to the Government, especially Ministries/Agencies that have special education schools or services to create a safe, healthy and quality education system. According to him, this is done to produce skinned graduates, where the health sector itself is expected to provide the best health services for the community.

"The education environment should be a safe and conducive place for students and students to develop, not become a hotbed of bullying and intimidation that destroys their mentality," said Arzeti.

Furthermore, the legislator from the East Java I electoral district encouraged the Government to evaluate the educational system of medical specialists in Indonesia, seeing that there have been many cases of bullying on the PPDS route. Arzeti assessed that the supervision and protection of students and residents must be prioritized.

"Evaluation must include improvements in specialist medical education governance, the establishment of a safe and effective complaint mechanism, as well as firm enforcement of rules against bullying measures," he explained.

"The government, educational institutions, and the community must work together to create a safe, healthy, and quality educational environment. Only then can we ensure that our graduates are ready to provide the best health services for the Indonesian people," continued Arzeti.

Specialist medical education programs are also said to have to cover the mental health of all parties involved, including for seniors and teachers. This means that Arzeti conveyed, education does not only focus on academic abilities.

This mental health issue is no longer just a discourse. Because the evidence is valid and real. By paying attention to mental elements, we hope that there will be no more seniors who bully for the junor. And those who become victims also have assistance, "he explained.

Arzeti also highlighted how bullying problems could have an impact on the lives of victims and their families. It is known, dr's father. Aulia died shortly after the child's death due to her declining health.

"I express my deep concern to the families of the victims. For me this is more than a matter of violation, because there is a family that has to bear the wounds and sadness of other people's bullying," said Arzeti.

"Imagine a father feeling pain because his baby left him, and knowing that his son was not treated well until his health declined, it really hurt. The system that was wrong in PPDS caused grief in the community," added the mother of 3 children.

Until now the case of death of dr. Aulia Risma is still being handled and investigated by the Central Java Regional Police. The Regional Police and the Ministry of Health are still coordinating to reveal the bullying experienced by PPDS Anesthesi participants.

On the other hand, Arzeti assessed that educational reforms must involve various parties, including students, lecturers, and independent parties, to ensure a safe educational environment and support high academic quality.

"The improvements made must be transparent and accessible to the public. The public has the right to know what the Government and educational institutions are doing to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future," said Arzeti.

Arzeti said this bullying could have a long-term impact on victims, so there needs to be special assistance for victims of bullying to recover faster.

"The danger of bullying can have a long-term impact where the person will experience trauma. This culture must be eradicated, besides that there needs to be special assistance for victims of bullying to recover faster," said the member of the BKSAP DPR RI.

The government, in this case, the Ministry of Health has acknowledged that there are still many cases of bullying and bullying in the PPDS environment. From data from the Ministry of Health until August 2024, it is known that there are 234 reports of bullying in PPDS with the study program (prodi) of internal diseases being the most.

From the data from the Ministry of Health, it is also known that there are 399 doctors who experience depression with severe categories and intend to end their lives based on surveys within PPDS. The Ministry of Health revealed that dr. Aulia became one of the PPDS participants who participated in the study, and as a result, the deceased experienced depression due to bullying from his seniors.

"These data are clear, right. So there is no need for parties to defend themselves, let alone cover up the culture of bullying in the PPDS environment. Now is the time to improve, because the chain of bullying must be broken," said Arzeti.

Commission IX of the House of Representatives in charge of health affairs also asked the Ministry of Health to provide strict sanctions for educational institutions that facilitate the PPDS program if it is proven that there is bullying. Arzeti said that the problem of bullying should be stopped quickly if there is no omission.

The practice of bullying in PPDS is growing because the environment itself seems to allow it to happen. So it's like a snare of demons, and no longer looks at the age this specialist should be no longer a young person," he said.

The Ministry of Health revealed that there were 10 study programs with the most cases of bullying found in PPDS, namely Penyakit Dalam with 44 cases, Surgeon 33 cases, Anesthesiology 22 cases, Plastic Surgery 15 cases, Surgeon Saraf 13 cases, Orthopedic 11 cases, Obgyn 11 cases, Neurology 10 cases and Children 7 cases.

"This is just what was reported, because I am sure there are many who do not report. This is what should be investigated as well. We hope that the problem of bullying in the PPDS environment which is already very worrying can be abolished soon. We will continue to coordinate with the Ministry of Health," concluded Arzeti.