Indonesia is trying to build a lot of medical universities. They want to build ten universities this year. This is a plan. President Prabowo Subianto says they need to do this to solve a problem. Indonesia does not have doctors. They need about 140,000 doctors. Every year they train 9,000 new doctors.. Then some of the old doctors retire. So they still do not have doctors.
The government wants to focus on science programs. They also want to work with universities in the UK. They want to use the standards as the UK. President Prabowo Subianto asked some universities in the UK to help them build the universities. This is not an idea. Kings College London already has a campus in Indonesia. They are teaching masters programs that are related to Indonesias economy.
Some doctors are not sure if building more universities will solve the problem. Indonesias Health Ministry says that 24 universities are training specialist doctors right now. The government wants 420 hospitals to help train specialist doctors. This is a change. Some doctors think that having doctors is not the solution. Zainal Muttaqin is a neurosurgeon at Diponegoro University. He says that the problem is not about having enough doctors. The problem is that many areas do not have hospitals or schools. Even basic things like roads are not good. So even if there are doctors patients may still have to wait a long time to see them.
There is also a problem with reputation. Asep Saeful Muhtadi is a communication scholar. He says that buildings can be built quickly.. It takes a long time to build a good reputation. A university can say it is world-class.. It takes years to prove it. You have to do a lot of research and other people have to recognize you.
For students the idea of universities is exciting. They will have options. For families in areas that do not have doctors the hope is simple. They want to be able to see a doctor when they need one.. It is not clear if the new universities will make this happen.
Indonesia is moving quickly. They really need to solve this problem.. The real test is not just about building new universities. The real test is whether people can get the help they need when they need it. For example can a mother in an area find a specialist doctor quickly when she needs one? This is the question that Indonesia needs to answer. Indonesia needs to make sure that medical universities are not just built. Also that they are effective, in providing good medical care to people who need it. Medical universities are important. Indonesia needs to get it right.
