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Omnibus health bill better protects doctors but leaves patients 'more vulnerable'
The government has claimed that the omnibus bill on health could better protect doctors, but Ombudsman Indonesia warned that the proposed legislation leaves a lot to be desired in terms of protecting patients against medical malpractice.
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Extra care: A nurse assists a patient suffering from COVID-19 at the Intensive Care Unit at a hospital in Bogor, West Java, on Jan. 26, 2021. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
T
he government has claimed the omnibus bill on health could better protect doctors, but Ombudsman Indonesia warned that the proposed legislation left a lot to be desired in terms of protecting patients against medical malpractice.
The bill seeks to bring in sweeping changes to the health sector by supplanting 10 existing laws, including the 2004 Medical Practice Law, the 2009 Health Law, the 2009 Hospitals Law and the 2014 Health Workers Law.
The bill has been met with mixed review from medical associations since the start of the deliberation at the House of Representatives early this month, with the All-Indonesia Doctors’ Association (PDSI) and the Village Midwives Forum (Forbides) among a dozen of proponents of the bill.
Some other more prominent medical associations, such as the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), have strongly opposed the bill that they fear could criminalize health workers and undermine the role of medical associations.
Responding to criticism, Health Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril claimed that compared to prevailing laws, the bill could provide better legal protection for doctors and other medical professionals.
"The existing laws do not provide a maximum protection for doctors, nurses, midwives and other health workers, so we've proposed [to lawmakers] to add [more provisions regarding health workers protection] to the bill," Syahril said in a statement on Monday.
"It's untrue that the bill removes legal protection for health workers, the bill will increase it instead."
