January 15, 2026 | 06:10 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said Indonesia is experiencing a shortage of doctors. According to Prasetyo, Indonesia needs about 100,000 more doctors to meet the healthcare needs of its people.
Prasetyo said that the government is currently developing strategies to fulfill the need for doctors. "Based on data, we are still short of almost over 100,000," Prasetyo said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
Prasetyo also stated that the issue was discussed in a dialogue forum between President Prabowo Subianto and professors from various universities at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday. Prasetyo said that Prabowo presented several policies to address this problem in the forum.
Prasetyo stated that the government wants to speed up the process of meeting Indonesia's need for doctors. One way to do so is by establishing new medical schools.
In addition to medical schools, Prasetyo said the government will also open dental and pharmacy schools. "We also have a shortage of dentists," said this politician from the Gerindra Party.
Prasetyo mentioned that new medical schools will open on campuses that do not yet have them. As for the universities that already have medical programs, those faculties will be expanded. "It's currently in the identification process; it's better to know where and approximately how many we need," he said.
Furthermore, Prasetyo said the government is also preparing a full scholarship scheme for students in the medical field. "So, in that program, a full scholarship is planned, meaning full scholarship," said the former member of the People's Representative Council.
According to data from the Indonesian Medical Council, there were 276,646 doctors in Indonesia as of October 2025. They consisted of 171,388 general practitioners, 44,587 dentists, 54,626 specialist doctors, and 6,045 specialist dentists.
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Health as of September 2025, Indonesia has 353,132 doctors. They consisted of 177,700 general practitioners, 141,325 specialist and subspecialist doctors, and 34,107 dentists.
The largest number of doctors is in West Java with 26,803 people, East Java with 22,600 people, and Central Java with 19,009 people. Whereas the regions with the fewest doctors are in the Mountainous Papua with 186 doctors, Southern Papua with 298 doctors, and West Papua with 399 doctors.
Yosea Arga Pramudita contributed to this article
Read: Today's Prabowo-Professors Meeting Offers No Dialogue Session
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