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Health minister faces fresh backlash over policies
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Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin answers journalists' questions via live video call during the ministry's press conference in Jakarta on April 21. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S)
H
ealth Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin’s push to overhaul the healthcare system has sparked fresh backlash from medical professionals and professors, while his recent controversial remarks have further fueled public scrutiny.
The Medical Professors Council at the University of Indonesia’s School of Medicine (FKUI) issued on Friday a declaration signed by 158 members, expressing concern that the ministry’s policies were disrupting medical education and health services.
“We initially supported the prevailing Health Law,” said dean Ari Fahrial Syam. “But over time, some policies no longer aligned with the law or its technical regulations.”
Their grievance stemmed from the Health Ministry’s recent reassignment of specialist doctors, including their lecturer Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, who also chairs the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI). Piprim was transferred from Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital to Fatmawati Hospital.
“These reassignments involve teaching doctors. When they’re suddenly moved, it’s the students who suffer,” Ari said.
IDAI and the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), the country’s biggest and oldest doctors’ association, meanwhile, suspected that Piprim’s transfer was politically motivated due to his outspoken criticism of Budi’s policies, an allegation the ministry denies.
Aside from the reassignment of doctors, FKUI professors also accused Budi and his ministry of bypassing transparent voting mechanisms in appointing members to medical collegia.
