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IDI renews call for health omnibus bill deliberation halt
The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), staunchly opposed to the omnibus bill on health, once again demanded lawmakers stop the bill deliberation, arguing that if passed, it may risk undermining the role of medical associations.
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A health worker administers the polio vaccine to a child during a vaccination drive in Pulo Aceh, a remote island in Aceh, on Dec. 6, 2022. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
T
he Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), a staunch opposition of the omnibus bill on health, has once again demanded lawmakers stop the bill deliberation, arguing that if passed, it may risk undermining the role of medical associations.
The omnibus health 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.
IDI members along with thousands of health workers from four other prominent medical associations in the country, namely the Indonesian Dentists Association (PDGI), the Indonesian Nurses Association (PPNI), the Indonesian Midwives Association (IBI) and the Indonesian Pharmacists Association (IAI), have recently staged a protest against the proposed bill.
They threatened to stage yet another protest in the near future should lawmakers continue the deliberation of the omnibus bill.
One of the protesters' main points of contention is lawmakers' plan to scrap a regulation stating each medical profession can only have one medical association to represent them: the IDI for doctors, the PDGI for dentists, the IBI for midwives and the PPNI for nurses.
"Scrapping this regulation is a clear attempt to diminish the role of medical associations. It will also create discord among medical professionals, which will eventually harm the public," IDI spokesperson Beni Satria said on Sunday.
"The current regulation that clearly stipulates one medical association for each medical profession offers better protection [for health workers]," he added.
