Indonesia Accelerates Specialist Medical Education Program in Eastern Region

RRI.CO.ID, Gorontalo - The Indonesian government continues to speed up the equitable distribution of medical specialists across the eastern region of the country. This effort was marked by the launch of the Specialist Medical Education Program (PPDS) in Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo (UNG), on Tuesday, March 4, 2026.

According to the ministry’s official website, the Director General of Higher Education at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Khairul Munadi, stated that the establishment of this program represents a concrete step by the government to expand access to specialist medical education while strengthening the national healthcare system.

“The opening of this specialist medical education program is a concrete measure to address healthcare service needs that require expertise in various regions, particularly in eastern Indonesia,” Khairul Munadi said.

He explained that the government had previously set a target of opening 148 specialist medical education programs across 57 medical faculties nationwide. To date, that target has been surpassed, with 160 specialist programs established, including at UNG and Sam Ratulangi University in North Sulawesi.

“Our commitment to strengthening healthcare services through higher education is progressing as planned, and even exceeding the targets that have been set. We are on a fast, dynamic, and promising track,” he stated.

UNG Rector Eduart Wolok described the trust placed in UNG, one of the youngest medical faculties in Indonesia, as a significant milestone in institutional development and in strengthening healthcare human resource capacity in the Tomini Bay region and surrounding areas.

“What makes this moment particularly special is that UNG is one of the youngest medical faculties entrusted with organizing specialist medical education. This trust must be met with serious effort and a strong commitment to maintaining quality,” Eduart said.

According to the Rector, access to specialist medical education in eastern Indonesia has so far been relatively limited and concentrated in several major universities, such as Hasanuddin University in Makassar and Sam Ratulangi University in Manado. The presence of a specialist program in Gorontalo is expected to accelerate the fulfillment of needs for anesthesiologists and intensive care specialists, which are two crucial fields in modern healthcare systems.

The Gorontalo Provincial Government has also expressed its readiness to support the strengthening of UNG’s Faculty of Medicine through collaboration with other higher education institutions and partnerships with the private sector, to ensure the sustainability and quality standards of specialist medical education.