As stated in the law, doctors who are declared as specialists after Jan 12 are obliged to work in outlying areas for at least one year.
"Before the program was voluntary," Head of Human Resources Development Ministry of Health Usman Sumantri in a press conference last Friday.
The assignment is hoped to improve health sector in all outreach areas across the country as unequal distribution of doctors has so far been a serious problem in Indonesia, Sumantri added.
The Ministry of Health in 2014 reported at least 48 percent or 435,877 doctors were concentrated in Java and Bali islands, while Papua and Maluku islands in the countrys eastern region only had 18,332 and 15,947 medical staffs respectively.
Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) and other specialist organizations have been committed to support the program by helping the government drafting the regulation.
"I hope the law could be well-implemented," Syam stated.
He added the association has been committed to send specialist doctors to countrys remote areas, but the salary as well as basic needs such as houses and cars should be facilitated properly by the government.
The story of doctors being murdered because of riots in an outreach area was not a myth, Syam pointed out while adding the government should assure that the doctors will be safe in their workplaces.
Syam added the doctors actually could refuse to comply with the program, but the government could also not issue their licenses as specialists.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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