T

he Health Ministry has reprimanded a local hospital in Tangerang for recruiting foreign medical workers without meeting administrative requirements, a ministry official says.

The ministry issued a warning to Mayapada Hospital in Tangerang, Banten, after it recruited medical workers and advertised them without completing paperwork, Health Ministry Medical Services Director General Farid Husein said.

“We do not prohibit people from doing good things, but Mayapada has broken the rules,” Farid said at Health Ministry in South Jakarta on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, the hospital placed a one-page advertisement in a local newspaper, announcing the opening of its cancer center, which featured “Singapore Oncology Consultants.”

After receiving inquiries about the consultants, the ministry carried out an inspection of the hospital before issuing the warning, Farid said.

“There are regulations that limit the recruitment of foreign workers [in the local health industry],” he said.

Indonesian Medical Council (KKI) chairman Menaldi Rasmin said foreign doctors hoping to practice in Indonesia needed to fulfill several legal requirements.

“They must obtain certificates from their collegium. They must report to the Indonesian Doctor Consulate.

They must obtain a registration letter. That applies to local doctors as well as foreign ones,” he said.

According to ministerial regulations, health workers in Indonesia must forward a request to the Health Ministry to have foreign health workers come to Indonesia to work for them.

The workers must also obtain recommendations from professional organizations and a provincial health agency.

Such a permit applies for 1 year but can be extended four times.

According to the 2004 Law on Doctoral Practice, any doctor who practices in Indonesia without permits is subject to a maximum 3 years’ imprisonment or Rp 100 million (around US$10,000) in fines.

Hardianto from the KKI said there were currently no permits issued for foreign doctors in Indonesia.

“There was once a request from a Japanese doctor working in a Japanese clinic, but we could not guarantee he would only treat Japanese patients,” he said.

Under certain circumstances, for example during university training or in a disaster situations, medical workers from outside Indonesia could be exempted from certain restrictions, Hardianto said.

“You can make your own conclusions,” he said when asked whether those who were practicing were unauthorized.

Farid said Mayapada had “shown good intentions” by saying it would issue an official apology in the media. (dis)