Indonesia's parliament approves changes to healthcare laws amid protests
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[July 11, 2023]
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's parliament on Tuesday approved
sweeping revisions to healthcare laws aimed at attracting foreign talent
and improving services, sparking protests by medical workers concerned
that they could be disadvantaged.
Hundreds of medical workers protested outside parliament in the capital
Jakarta, demanding further public consultation on the reforms, which
they say could weaken their protections.
The new laws will make it easier for foreign doctors to practice in
Indonesia, enable patients to file criminal complaints against medical
workers for malpractice and remove a requirement for the state to
allocate 5% of its budget to the health sector, a parliamentarian told
Reuters on Monday.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in parliament the law is aimed
at transforming healthcare in the world's fourth-most populous country.
"After the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the time to rebuild our health
system," he said.
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Indonesia, a country of more than 270 million people, has about seven
doctors for every 10,000 people, according to World Health Organization
data, below Thailand with 9 doctors, Philippines with 8 doctors or
Australia with 41 doctors per 10,000.
The government has said granting permits for foreign doctors is intended
to make up for staff shortages. In the new law, foreign specialist
workers must already have worked for five years overseas and pass an
evaluation, according to Charles Honoris, deputy chief of the
parliamentary commission overseeing health.
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![](../images/071123PIX/health51.jpg)
Placards are seen during a protest
against a new health bill outside the Indonesian Parliament building
in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 5, 2023. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/File
Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jul/22/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png) Parliament also said the mandatory
budget allocation was at risk of misuse whereas the new law would
allow for more targeted spending.
But medical associations have raised concerns that slashing the
mandatory budget allocation would strain public health centers
across the country.
The law is set to take effect immediately but the government would
need to issue other regulations for its implementation.
Mohammed Adib Khumaidi, head of Indonesia's Medical Association said
the new law "will destabilize health sector".
The medical community also criticized the provision allowing patient
data to be shared with overseas agencies. Parliament said the data
can only be shared with the patients' consent.
(Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Ananda Teresia, Editing by Louise
Heavens)
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