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Ministry defends halt to residency program after doctors’ protests
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Illustration of doctor holding medical records at a hospital room. (Shutterstock/Bannafarsai_Stock)
T
he Health Ministry has said that the suspension of an anesthesiology residency program at the Hasan Sadikin Hospital following a rape case will not undermine education for doctors or healthcare services at the Bandung-based hospital in West Java.
The rape case, allegedly perpetrated by Priguna Anugerah Pratama, a Padjajaran University first-year anesthesiology resident at Hasan Sadikin, has gained widespread public attention and the Health Ministry reacted quickly by imposing a one-month suspension on the residency program for anesthesiologists.
Health Ministry spokesperson Aji Muhawarman said that the suspension was a necessary step to allow the ministry to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of Padjajaran University’s handling of its specialist doctor education system.
“The ministry and the Hasan Sadikin Hospital can guarantee that the temporary termination of the anesthesiology residency program will not disrupt specialist health services at the hospital,” Aji said in a statement on Friday.
“[The suspension] was taken following close coordination and after receiving support from Padjajaran University.”
In addition to the ongoing evaluation, Aji said that the ministry is also focusing its efforts on working with law enforcement authorities in handling the rape case and to ensure that similar incidents do not happen in the future.
His statement came after the ministry drew criticism from groups of doctors and medical schools which said that the suspension was out of proportion and had broad impacts on doctor education and medical services at Hasan Sadikin.
