Health workers are the government's strategic partners in fulfilling people's basic rights to health. Thus, they must receive proper legal protection.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Health Ministry has proposed anti-bullying regulations for the Health Bill to provide legal protection to all health workers, including medical students.

"We have received many reports of bullying cases. However, many doctors are afraid to speak out in public (about such cases) because it poses a risk to their future careers," Health Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril said here on Thursday.

Hence, the ministry is expecting that the regulations will encourage victims, who usually choose to keep silent about such cases, to gather the courage to raise their voices, he added.

"They tend to remain silent and accept the bullying. Hence, we propose for their protection in the Health Bill," he continued.

As per the bill, medical students who provide health services must be protected from physical and mental violence as well as bullying.

In addition, the bill allows doctors and other health workers to stop providing services if they get poor treatment, which is not in accordance with human dignity, morals, decency, as well as sociocultural values, including violence, harassment, and bullying, Syahril informed.

"Anti-bullying (regulation) is one of the legal protections for doctors and health workers in addition to other protection provisions," he added.

The spokesperson said that the efforts made to eradicate bullying aim to ensure that the medical education system in Indonesia can run ethically and professionally.

“We have to make (the admission process for) specialist education programs easier. (Student) admission must be cheap, not difficult, as well as based on meritocracy, not according to recommendations. There should be no non-technical obstacles when (students) join the programs," he added.

Earlier, Syahril said that health workers, who are at the front line in providing health services, should have the right to good legal protection as they are strategic partners of the government in realizing the health transformation.

"Health workers are the government's strategic partners in fulfilling people's basic rights to health. Thus, they must receive proper legal protection," he emphasized.

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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Uyu Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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