INDONESIA Jakarta approves a reform of the Health system contested by doctors and nurses

The objective is a greater presence in the peripheral areas of the country and to reinforce preventive and specialized medicine. But the opening to foreign doctors and the possibility of patients filing malpractice complaints have sparked controversy.

Jakarta () – The Indonesian House of Parliament approved the new Health Law on Tuesday, July 11, despite massive street demonstrations by all kinds of health professionals in front of the Parliament building. This is a framework law that reorganizes the Indonesian health system and has been strongly contested by some bodies, such as the Indonesian Medical Association and the Indonesian Nurses Association due to a number of questions. Among them are the greater facilities for foreign doctors to practice the profession in Indonesia, the possibility for patients to file criminal complaints against health workers for negligence and the cancellation of the State’s obligation to allocate 5% of its budget to the health sector.

Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunawan Sadikin, a former head of Mandiri (State) Bank, spoke to the protesters and said he was willing to discuss the implementation of the measure. “This Health Law will be a new chapter to build the health system throughout the country, even in the most remote areas, on the borders and throughout the territory of the archipelago,” said the minister, adding that the Ministry of Health of Indonesia seriously wants to lay the foundation of the Health service throughout the country.

One of the goals is to move from simply treating diseases to an approach that also takes prevention into account; a better distribution of health personnel throughout the national territory, the integration of technological systems used in health establishments and transparency in payments. But most controversial is the cancellation of the Indonesian Medical Association’s “permission” to practice, which could more easily open the doors to doctors from abroad. It must also be said that currently Indonesians can no longer afford to seek treatment outside the country (eg in Singapore) instead of going to local hospitals.

With the new law, Indonesia also intends to improve the supply of specialist doctors, a fundamental problem for the local health system. Compared to other Southeast Asian countries, the ratio of medical specialists per 1,000 people in Indonesia is 2.12, while in other countries it is 0.20. The number of general practitioners in Indonesia is also just 0.62 per 1,000 people, well below the World Health Organization standard of 1 doctor per 1,000 people.