In the latter case, the doctor, identified as first-year resident Priguna Anugerah Pratama, allegedly sedated and raped the victim under the pretense of conducting a blood test.

The police have arrested Priguna and the university has moved swiftly by permanently removing him from the academic records and banning him from carrying out any activities at the hospital or on the campus.

Several days after the Bandung case unfolded, a similar case was unveiled in Garut, also in West Java. In Garut, the police arrested an obstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn) who allegedly touched a pregnant patient inappropriately during an ultrasound examination last year.

The sexual harassment in Garut might be just the tip of the iceberg, as the clinic where the ob-gyn, identified by his initials MSF, said other similar complaints were filed against the doctor.

The clinic’s manager said that MSF no longer practiced medicine either in the facility or in any hospital in Garut. The Health Ministry was also pursuing action to suspend his license to practice medicine.

We condemn these doctors, whose despicable acts have further eroded the people’s confidence in the country’s medical institutions, which was thought to be gradually improving after a slump during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sexual assault of patients is a blatant violation of the Hippocratic Oath that doctors take, which underlines a commitment to respecting each patient they treat.

With the two dishonorable doctors in West Java arrested, all eyes and pressure are on the police and other law enforcement agencies to launch a thorough investigation into the cases and prosecute the suspects as heavily as allowed by the law.

It is important that law enforcement pushes for heavy punishment to deter and prevent such offenses from recurring in the future.

Public pressure on the investigators is necessary, as certain officers are reluctant to enforce the law, including the new Sexual Violence Law, and to adequately respond to reports of sexual violence.

Some cases involving men in power, including doctors, also often end with symbolic disciplinary measures or so-called peaceful mediation between perpetrators and victims. Such practices are feared to create impunity among sex offender doctors.

The West Java cases also put a spotlight on what experts call structural and psychological gaps in the safety and protection of women. The government can close these gaps by enforcing all laws and policies aimed at abolishing gender-based violence.

Several days after the arrest in Bandung, the Health Ministry announced a plan to improve oversight of medical residency programs to prevent similar cases. The oversight reform includes mandatory psychological evaluations of new residents and will document all activities by specialist doctors in a digital system to prevent seniors from overworking their residents.

We support the reform plan, which is long overdue to improve the quality of medical specialists in Indonesia.

But we also acknowledge that it is not enough, especially to prevent doctors and medical workers from committing sexual violence against patients.

Is it not widely accepted by doctors around the world that they should act solely for the benefit of their patient?