To reduce potential stress, distribution of specialist doctors needs to be balanced with welfare

2024-05-06 16:30:27

Illustration: doctor examining a patient (ANTARA FOTO/Yusuf Nugroho)

DISTRIBUTION of specialist doctors in the regions must be accompanied by the welfare of doctors so as to reduce the level of stress or possibility of depression among specialist doctor participants.

To achieve the target of fulfilling specialist doctors, the Ministry of Health has begun opening specialist doctor education from the Main Organizing Teaching Hospital (RSP-PU)/Hospital Based Specialist Doctor Education (PPDS) program.

Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (FK) at the University of Indonesia (UI) Prof. Ari Fahrial Syam said that the law mandates that students receive incentives for the services provided. This must be implemented both at universities and hospital-based to avoid conflicts at the grassroots.

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“We also have to guard people who register for hospital-based from the regions. We are collaborating with the Papua regional government to educate 29 native Papuan doctors who are paid by the regional government,” said Prof Ari in West Jakarta, Monday (5/6).

The stress experienced by PPDS can come from external factors or daily and family needs that are not met because there is no income because many PPDS have not received salaries or incentives. Therefore, cooperation with local governments is also needed to maintain the welfare of PPDS.

“We also have to take care of welfare, like in the case of community health center doctors who were closed due to unpaid salaries, the regional government must be taken care of to provide welfare to doctors. If this is not taken care of, however the system is not changed, the distribution problem will not be resolved. The downstream must be taken care of,” he said .

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Prof Ari explained that in principle hospital based is the mandate of Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health that specialist education is to increase the number, capacity, including distribution, so two systems are created, university based and hospital based. In the law, it is also stated that if the university is based, it will continue to collaborate with educational hospitals and collegiums that are based on universities.

“Hospital based is the main organizer but can collaborate with universities so the essence is the same. Therefore, if you want to keep the quality the same, don’t let anything be reduced because you talk about life safety, so that there is consistency and a strong commitment involving the medical faculty,” he explained. .

“On the one hand, hospitals are based on education, services and research, so these three things should not be any different from hospitals and universities,” he added.

It is known that currently the number of specialist doctors in Indonesia is still insufficient because annual production is very small. Annual production is 2,700 specialist doctors while the need is 29 thousand, so it takes more than 10 years and continues to happen every year.

As a comparison, England, with a population of 50 million people, produces specialist doctors of up to 12 thousand per year, almost 5 times that of Indonesia. When compared, because the systems are different, that is why there is a policy of opening hospital and collegium-based education which is also carried out according to standards throughout the world. (Iam/Z-7)