Difficulties In Getting Permits To Practice In Indonesia, Doctors Forum Difficult To Practice Reporting To Menkumham

JAKARTA - The Minister of Law and Human Rights (Menkumham) Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly has visited a group of doctors who call themselves the Difficult Doctors' Practice Forum. They asked Yasonna to consider supporting the revision of Law (UU) No. 29 of 2004 on Medical Practice.

Representative of the Difficult Practicing Doctors Forum, Dr. Rulando Putra Augustyn, told Yasonna that his party requested a revision of the Medical Law because they had problems getting a practice permit when they finished their studies back home.

"Many fellow doctors who graduated from abroad complained about the procedure and the high cost of obtaining a license to practice in Indonesia, so we asked for a revision of the Medical Practice Law," he said in a written statement, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, July 27.

He said that since completing his medical studies in Russia about a year ago, Rulando has not yet received a license to practice medicine in Indonesia.

Due to the difficulty of obtaining a license to practice as a doctor, currently Rulando admits that he works at an insurance company to provide for the needs of his family.

Meanwhile, his fellow doctors returned to the countries where they were studying so that they could practice as doctors.

"I think the knowledge is the same. Our profession is needed by many people, everyone needs health," he said.

Meanwhile, Yasonna said that he would fight for these aspirations, especially regarding the revision of Law Number 29 of 2004 concerning Medical Practice.

According to him, the revision of the Law on Medical Practice is important to strengthen the medical system so that it can better provide services to the community.

On several occasions, Yasonna admitted that she often received information from Indonesian sons and daughters who had completed their medical studies abroad but had difficulty practicing in Indonesia.

As a result, he continued, not infrequently they choose to become doctors abroad, including in Malaysia and Singapore.

"This is very concerning. At a time when we lack doctors, it is difficult for Indonesian sons and daughters who graduate abroad to get a license to practice in Indonesia," he explained.

One of the consequences is that Indonesia loses trillions of rupiah in foreign exchange because there are two million people who seek treatment abroad every year.

"Tillions of rupiah are spent by Indonesians to go for treatment to Penang, Malacca, Singapore, and others," he said.