TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin plans to allow general practitioners to perform cesarean section surgeries, a decision instructed by President Prabowo Subianto.
Minister Budi explained that President Prabowo wants the Ministry of Health to open at least 66 hospitals in remote, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, including areas such as Nias Island, Taliabu, Kolaka, North Konawe, and the hinterlands of Sumba and Flores.
However, due to a shortage of specialist doctors, the solution is to train general practitioners to perform surgeries.
"So what I am asking for is for hundreds of areas that do not have specialist doctors, please equip the general practitioners with life-saving competencies," Budi said during an interview at the DPR/MPR/DPD Complex on May 14, 2025.
Budi clarified that allowing general practitioners to perform cesarean sections is not a new concept in the medical field. This approach, known internationally as "task shifting," involves transferring responsibilities from highly qualified personnel to those with lower qualifications, particularly in cases where there is a shortage of skilled professionals.
Budi noted that the idea arose after receiving numerous reports from general practitioners in remote areas.
They shared their frustrations at being unable to intervene when pregnant women were on the verge of giving birth, even in life-threatening situations, due to the absence of specialist doctors.
"Sir, now we are not allowed to perform that (operation). Because we are considered incompetent, so we often see pregnant women die in the area," Budi said, quoting the concerns of these doctors.
Before being authorized to perform surgeries, Budi explained that general practitioners will undergo special training organized by the Indonesian College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Obgyn).
He added that the Ministry is currently drafting policy regulations with senior doctors, and these guidelines, along with necessary facilities, will be prepared in the near future.
"We will also prepare the facilities for it this year," he said.
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