President Prabowo Announces 30 New Medical Faculties to Address Doctor Shortage

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to establish 30 new medical faculties at universities across Indonesia to address the growing shortage of medical practitioners in the country.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Mahar Mardjono National Brain Hospital on Tuesday, President Prabowo stated, “I target to open 30 new medical faculties, God willing, to address the shortage of 70,000 specialists and 140,000 general practitioners.”

He further announced that the government plans to introduce 148 new study programs at 57 medical faculties this year, comprising 125 specialist programmes and 23 sub-specialist programmes. “We need to increase the number of medical students and graduates,” he emphasised.

However, the president cautioned that even if Indonesia achieves this target, it would still take 35 years to reach the ideal doctor-to-population ratio for the country’s 280 million citizens. He instructed health authorities to intensify efforts in addressing the shortage of both medical specialists and general practitioners.

“The shortage of paramedics is happening worldwide. There is also a shortage in Europe and America. We need to work harder,” he noted.

President Prabowo also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensuring that all Indonesians, including those in remote areas, have access to quality medical and health services to improve public well-being.

He linked improvements in education and healthcare to the strengthening of democracy, saying, “Education and health drive our democratization. This is why the government—any government—must strive for quality education and health services.”

Finally, the president called on government officials to ensure that every rupiah allocated to healthcare is fully used for the benefit of the people and not lost to corruption.