Indonesia Reinforces Protection and Welfare of Doctor Internships

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesia's Ministry of Health affirmed its commitment to comprehensively improving the governance of the Indonesian Doctor Internship Program, including ensuring the protection of intern participants and patient safety in healthcare services. The Vice Minister of Health, Dante Saksono Harbuwono, stated that the Ministry will follow up on two main steps: a medical audit related to patient care and a comprehensive improvement in the governance of the doctor internship program.

"All patients, especially medical personnel responsible for caring for patients, must receive good medical care. Therefore, we will conduct a professional medical audit through the professional disciplinary council in collaboration with relevant professional organizations," Vice Minister of Health Dante, conveyed at a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

He explained that the medical audit is conducted confidentially in accordance with ethical and professional standards. If the audit process reveals any inconsistencies in medical procedures, there will be consequences in accordance with applicable regulations.

Furthermore, he emphasized that the government will also improve the internship implementation system so that participants can continue to learn effectively without compromising protection in terms of health, occupational safety, and welfare. "Participants can still study well and receive financial, economic, and health protection," he added.

The Director General of Human Resources for Health at the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Dr. Yuli Farianti, emphasized that the Ministry of Health is committed to providing a safer, more humane internship system that optimally supports participants' learning process. "The internship program must be a healthy professional learning process, not physically or mentally burdensome," she said.

In these improvements, the Indonesia's Ministry of Health has set a maximum working hour for interns of 40 hours per week, with no reduction or extension of work hours permitted. On-call shifts must also be under the supervision of an accompanying physician and cannot replace the role of a dedicated doctor at a healthcare facility.

Furthermore, participants who are unable to attend their on-call shifts are no longer required to be replaced by another participant to prevent excessive workload. The Ministry of Health will also strengthen the evaluation system for interns and their assistants through a rating-based assessment mechanism to ensure the quality of learning and the work environment for interns are maintained.