Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Indonesia's shortage of doctors is forcing medical residents to take on additional clinical duties and leaving many remote regions without adequate healthcare services, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Thursday.
"The main problem is that we still lack doctors, and as a result the workload is extremely high," Budi told a parliamentary hearing with Commission IX of the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The shortage has compelled some participants in Indonesia's specialist medical residency program, known as PPDS, to provide medical services in hospitals and clinics while continuing their training, often working beyond their scheduled educational and clinical hours.
Indonesia, which operates one of the world's largest universal health insurance programs covering approximately 270 million people, continues to struggle with insufficient numbers of doctors and an uneven distribution of medical personnel across its vast archipelago.
Health Ministry data show Indonesia had 129,147 doctors as of 2026, equivalent to roughly 0.45 doctors per 1,000 residents based on the country's projected population of 284.4 million. The figure remains well below the World Health Organization's benchmark of one doctor per 1,000 people.
The shortage is compounded by a sharp geographic imbalance. Nearly half of the country's doctors are concentrated on Java, where West Java, East Java, Jakarta, Central Java and Yogyakarta together account for 62,423 physicians, or about 48.3% of Indonesia's total doctor workforce.
Meanwhile, many eastern provinces continue to face severe shortages. Twelve provinces have fewer than 1,000 doctors, including North Maluku with 603 physicians, Gorontalo with 508 and West Sulawesi with just 402.
Budi cited Mamberamo Raya district in Papua as an example of the problem. The district has around 17 community health centers, or puskesmas, yet none has a permanently assigned specialist doctor.
"The easiest way to identify a doctor shortage is by looking at the number of practice licenses they hold," Budi said.
According to the minister, doctors who hold multiple practice licenses often work at several facilities to fill staffing gaps. In some areas, physicians hold up to three licenses simultaneously.
"If the number of doctors were sufficient, they would only need one practice license because they would work at one location," he said.
The situation is particularly acute in Indonesia's easternmost provinces. Southwest Papua has only 314 doctors, South Papua has 229, and Highland Papua has just 168 physicians.
Across all six provinces on the island of Papua, the total number of doctors stands at only 2,131, fewer than the 2,638 doctors practicing in East Kalimantan alone and significantly below West Sumatra's 2,941 physicians.
While several large urban centers have begun experiencing an oversupply of doctors, many regencies and remote districts continue to struggle to attract medical personnel.
"There are already several large cities with an excess supply of doctors, but many regencies still suffer from shortages," Budi said.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/doctor-shortage-leaves-remote-regions-underserved-health-minister-say