Indonesia's Health Ministry grounds 10,564 intern doctors for health checks after six deaths

Indonesia's Ministry of Health has temporarily relieved 10,564 intern doctors from their duties to undergo comprehensive health examinations. This significant measure comes in the wake of six reported deaths among intern doctors throughout 2026, all of which have undergone joint audits and investigations.

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To support the implementation of these screenings, all internship participants will be temporarily relieved of their duties from July 30 to August 14, 2026.

The intensive medical check-ups, encompassing physical examinations, laboratory tests, and mental health screenings, are scheduled from July 30 to August 14, 2026. During this period, the intern doctors will focus solely on completing these assessments. The results will be used to evaluate their health status and competency achievements, as recorded in their logbooks. Those who meet the competency targets and are declared healthy will be able to complete their internship program without an extension.

Beyond the health screenings, the Ministry of Health is also reinforcing the support system for intern doctors. Yuli Farianti, Director-General of Health Human Resources, emphasized the critical role of communication between interns, their supervising doctors, training facilities, the Indonesian Medical Internship Committee (KIKI), local governments, and the ministry itself. "The closest person to an intern doctor is their supervisor," Yuli stated, stressing the need for good communication to promptly identify and address any health issues or challenges faced by the interns.

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The closest person to an intern doctor is their supervisor. Therefore, communication must run well so that any health conditions or obstacles faced by the participants can be immediately known and handled.

Improvements to the internship program's governance have been implemented through a new ministerial decree. This regulation addresses several aspects of participant protection, including limiting work hours to a maximum of 40 hours per week without cramming, regulating on-call schedules, establishing sick leave policies, providing more intensive supervision, and outlining complaint mechanisms and sanctions for non-compliant facilities or supervisors. The ministry is committed to continuous evaluation to ensure these improved governance practices are consistently applied and to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

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We continue to evaluate so that the improved governance is truly carried out consistently so that similar incidents do not happen again.