Minister of State Secretariat Prasetyo Hadi said the directive was delivered to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin during a coordination meeting on national strategic programs at the Defense Ministry in Jakarta on Tuesday.
“The health minister has been urged to collect data on staffing needs, particularly in 3T regions,” Hadi told reporters after the meeting, without giving a timeline for completing the nationwide assessment.
Hadi said the president’s order followed Sadikin’s report that Indonesia has about 10,000 puskesmas, with around 4,000 still lacking adequate personnel to meet basic service standards across remote and underserved areas.
“About 4,000 puskesmas are still short of health workers, including general practitioners and dentists,” he said, adding shortages vary widely by province and are most acute in isolated districts.
The Health Ministry said it is taking steps to improve staffing in 3T regions, including a new incentive distribution scheme aimed at attracting and retaining health workers, with particular emphasis on specialist doctors.
Sadikin said the ministry has prepared monthly incentives of Rp30 million (about US$1,700) for each specialist doctor assigned to 3T regions, part of efforts to narrow gaps in access to advanced care.
Beyond financial support, the government is accelerating construction of livable housing and supplying modern equipment under the Strengthening Indonesia’s Healthcare Referral Network (SIHREN) initiative, while deploying hundreds of additional medical personnel to 3T facilities as of early 2026.
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Translator: Andi/Maria, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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