"I will increase (all aspects) in regional general hospitals, fill (the hospitals) with more facilities, and provide scholarships to its human resources, the scholarships could be in the form of fellowship," Sadikin stated in a statement here, Saturday (December 10).
During his visit to Dr Moewardi Regional General Hospital in Surakarta, Central Java, Saturday, the minister said that increasing specialist doctors was to fulfil the demand for specialists and bolster residents' access to specialised medical services.
Increasing the number of specialist doctors is consistent with President Joko Widodo's instruction to the Health Ministry to transform the national healthcare system, he added.
Sadikin highlighted oncologists, cardiologists, neurologists, and nephrologists as medical specialists prioritised in regional general hospitals to address heart diseases, stroke, and cancers, being the main causes of death of Indonesians.
He underlined that standard healthcare services and access must be made equitable throughout Indonesia, while the ministry targets all hospitals in Indonesia capable to treat heart diseases, stroke, and cancers by 2024.
"Increasing the number of specialist doctors is also consistent with (our effort in) transforming healthcare resources. One doctor for one thousand people is the standard, while we are yet to achieve complete fulfilment and equitable distribution (of medical specialists) in Indonesia," Sadikin said.
The academic health system, a policy accommodating the potential of respective institutions according to public needs, would be pursued to achieve equitable healthcare resources, the minister noted.
The system will employ professional medical education through collaboration with educational hospitals and other institutions within the healthcare ecosystem, he said, adding that the programme will facilitate potential doctors to exchange their knowledge and learn from foreign doctors.
"We need (to bolster) the number of doctors, we must enhance our acceleration because our efforts in the last ten years are slow. We need to expedite (the increase of) general practitioners and medical specialists," Sadikin remarked.
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Translator: Hreeloita DS, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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