Jakarta (ANTARA News) - At least 2,000 doctors from the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) staged a rally here on Monday, demanding the abolition of the Primary Physician Services (DLP) program, which is considered burdensome for doctors and the state budget.

"This peaceful protest is the culmination of the efforts we have made to inform the government on the problems of the doctors," IDI Chairman Ilham Oetama Marsis remarked.

Marsis said that the DLP was burdensome for prospective doctors, because the program was obligatory. The DLP had actually doubted the competence of medical students who had studied previously.

According to him, the prospective doctors had already undergone competency tests, certifications and debriefings before taking up their duty as doctors.

He said that in the Law of Medical Education, the standard of competency has been regulated without having to undergo primary physician services.

Marsis added that the DLP program seems to force the doctors to repeat what they have studied earlier.

In addition, he said the program also weighed on the state money because the costs were too high.

According to him, the state has to spend up to Rp300 million per year for one doctor to undergo a DLP program, while there are more than 100 thousand doctors who have to undergo that program.

Marsis said the government should divert the DLP funds for the improvement of the governance for the deployment of doctors and medical facilities around Indonesia.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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