December 8, 2025 | 11:14 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As floods and landslides continue to strain healthcare services across parts of Sumatra, Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto has instructed the Health Ministry to deploy medical interns and resident doctors to support overwhelmed facilities in disaster-hit regions.
The government says additional health workers are urgently needed as thousands of residents remain displaced and in need of care.
Prabowo made the directive during a coordination meeting with several ministers in Aceh on Sunday evening, December 7, 2025. He emphasized that more medical personnel on the ground would help accelerate health services for affected communities.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin earlier reported that doctors are still in short supply in several impacted locations.
He requested assistance from Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to mobilize around 300 doctors from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) for the next three months.
“So, I need about 300 doctors for the next three months to fill the gap. If possible, TNI and Polri are easier to mobilize,” Budi said.
Prabowo responded by asking whether resident doctors could also be deployed to assist flood victims.
“Can resident doctors be deployed? Is that allowed?” Prabowo asked.
Budi explained that resident doctors who have completed their internship could be assigned, but internship doctors would still require supervision from fully licensed practitioners.
“Internship doctors can help, Sir, but they must be accompanied by senior doctors,” Budi said. He added that borrowing around 300 doctors from state-run hospitals would allow them to be stationed at primary healthcare facilities for three months.
Prabowo then asked the Health Ministry to immediately review the number of internship doctors currently available at universities, expressing confidence that medical schools would support the effort.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health noted that the shortage of health workers remains a major challenge at emergency shelters and clinics.
According to Sumarjaya, Director of Health Surveillance and Quarantine, general practitioners are particularly needed at this stage of the response.
“The most common ailments require basic healthcare services, so general practitioners are urgently needed,” he said.
However, he added that some patients still require specialist care. There is also a pressing need for electromedical technicians, as many medical devices in community health centers and hospitals were submerged by floods and mud and must be assessed for safety before reuse.
Dinda Sabrina contributed to the writing of this article.
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