Health Minister Reveals Indonesia Needs 81,416 General Practitioners and 55,192 Specialists

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has revealed that Indonesia faces a significant shortage of general practitioners and specialists.

Currently, 446 districts and cities are lacking general practitioners, while 481 districts and cities are in need of specialists.

"The gap is that 87 percent of regions still need general practitioners, with a shortfall of 81,000 (specifically 81,416) general practitioners," Budi stated during a press conference on Thursday (22/10/2026), as reported by the Kemenkes YouTube channel on Friday (23/10/2026).

Additionally, 93 percent of areas in Indonesia still require 55,192 specialists. Furthermore, 95 percent of regions need 127 out of 189 dentists.

Budi also pointed out that only 68 districts and cities have met the required number of general practitioners.

"Just imagine, the shortfall is exceedingly high," he added.

As a result, the government is actively working to expedite the training of general practitioners, dentists, and specialists in Indonesia.

"If we remain passive and do not accelerate production, the gap will become even larger," Budi warned.

One of the initiatives by the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) is to develop hospital-based specialist education through the Hospital-Based Education Program (RSPPU).

This program aims to accelerate the fulfillment of specialist needs while aligning education with the healthcare demands in various regions.

Since 2024, the RSPPU program has trained 221 participants across four batches. In 2026, Kemenkes also expanded 55 specialist education programs in 52 hospitals to address primary seven specialties and the needs for services in oncology, cardiology, stroke, urology, as well as maternal and child health services (KJSU-KIA).

In addition to expanding specialist education, Kemenkes assigns specialists to priority hospitals to fill service gaps.

This assignment includes hospitals under the Fast Results Program (PHTC), KJSU-KIA services, as well as areas that are marginalized, border areas, and islands (DTPK). As of July 2026, 371 specialists have been assigned to enhance services at priority hospitals.

"Specialist education takes about four years. Therefore, to fill the educational gaps, we are also sending specialists to areas that require them. This assignment is indeed temporary, but the community cannot afford to wait," Budi noted.

Kemenkes is also deploying medical personnel and health workers through special assignment programs to primary health centers in areas with limited healthcare staff.

By July 2026, a total of 3,648 medical personnel and health workers have been assigned to strengthen services in those regions.