October 13, 2025 | 05:37 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono announced that Indonesia is still facing a shortage of medical and healthcare professionals. He mentioned that 4.6 percent of public health centers (puskesmas) in Indonesia do not have doctors.
"38.8 percent of our puskesmas also do not have adequate medical personnel," Dante said during the launch of the Standard Operating Procedure (SPO) for the Competency Test of Medical and Healthcare Personnel at the Ministry of Health office on Monday, October 13, 2025.
He stated that, based on data from the Ministry of Health, one-third of hospitals in Indonesia do not have the seven basic specialist doctors required to best serve patients.
Therefore, he said, with the inauguration of the SPO for the Competency Test of Medical and Healthcare Personnel, it is hoped that competent and high-quality doctors will be produced, not just in terms of quantity.
"Therefore, we are accelerating because there are two problems, namely the shortage in numbers and uneven distribution," said Dante.
The SPO for the Competency Test of Medical and Healthcare Personnel is mandated by Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health. Since May 28, the Ministry of Health has submitted a draft of this SPO.
However, as of mid-July, the SPO, which is the legal basis for implementing the competency test, has not been ratified. The absence of the SPO could make the national competency test legally flawed.
On July 18, four professional associations representing the fields of medicine, nursing, midwifery, and pharmacy urged the government to immediately ratify the SPO national competency test.
They stated that the absence of this regulation threatens the legitimacy of the examination and the future of thousands of students and graduates who are in limbo.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology inaugurated the launch of the SPO for the Competency Test of Medical and Healthcare Personnel on Monday, October 13.
Dante said that the inauguration of this SPO is expected to produce competent medical and healthcare personnel who have been tested for quality throughout Indonesia.
"In order to ensure that medical and healthcare graduates reach high competency standards, this SPO has been developed for existing medical and healthcare education," said Dante.
He explained that this competency test will also target prospective medical and healthcare personnel from vocational and professional education institutions, as well as specialists and subspecialists, with a national and international standard-based implementation.
On a similar occasion, Deputy Minister of Research and Technology Fauzan said that, with the inauguration of this SPO for the Competency Test, technical guidelines will no longer be questioned.
Despite being urgently needed, Fauzan acknowledged that the inauguration of the SPO Competency Test did not happen quickly. "We have been criticized as if we never did anything good. But, thank God, we have managed to resolve this," said Fauzan.
Editor's Choice: Independent Lunch Programs at Schools
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
#KluivertOut Trends After Indonesia Fails to Qualify for 2026 World Cup
6 menit lalu
Protests using the hashtag #KluivertOut have been widespread on social media since Indonesia failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Indonesia to Keep Running Labor-Intensive Programs in 2026, Says Deputy Minister
33 menit lalu
Deputy Minister of Public Works, Diana Kusumastuti, stated that the labor-intensive program will continue in 2026 as it involves the people.
Indonesia Promotes Its Agrobiodiversity at FAO's Global Exhibition in Rome
3 jam lalu
Indonesia showcases its rich variety of local foods at the global exhibition 'From Seeds to Foods', hosted by FAO in Rome, Italy, on October 10-13.
Coach Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia Record: Just 3 Wins in 8 Matches
7 jam lalu
Patrick Kluivert has led the Indonesian national team in eight official matches. The results have been inconsistent, and he failed to meet the target for the 2026 World Cup.
Indonesia's Industry Minister Says Chinese Firm Interested in Coal Downstream Project
7 jam lalu
Indonesia's Minister of Industry reveals that a Chinese energy company is interested in the project of coal downstreaming into chemical products.
Indonesian Govt Will Not Use State Budget to Pay Off High-Speed Train Debt, Says Minister
8 jam lalu
Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi announced that the government has no plans to use the State Budget to pay off the debt of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Train (KCJB) project, also known as Whoosh.
Indonesian Govt to Reassign Arief Prasetyo Adi After Removal as Bapanas Head
8 jam lalu
Arief Prasetyo Adi will be reassigned to another position after being dismissed as the Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) on October 9th.
Indonesia's Agriculture Ministry, Bulog Focus on Improving Rice Storage Management
10 jam lalu
Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi explains that the Indonesian Agriculture Ministry & Bulog are focusing on improving rice storage management.
Indonesia Tourism Industry Association to Send Letter to Prabowo on Tourism Law Revision
10 jam lalu
The Tourism Industry Association of Indonesia (GIPI) plans to send a letter to President Prabowo Subianto regarding the revision of the Tourism Law
Indonesia's Prabowo Departs for Egypt to Attend Gaza Peace High-Level Conference
11 jam lalu
President Prabowo Subianto departed for Egypt on Sunday night, October 12, 2025, to attend the Gaza Peace High-Level Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
