Ministry Prioritizes Oncology Education Abroad for Future Medical Excellence
- vstory
Jakarta, VIVA – The Indonesian government will send 100 doctors abroad annually for further study to increase the number of oncology specialists who can provide better cancer treatment.
"One of the major issues in cancer treatment in Indonesia is the lack of oncology specialists," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in a statement on Sunday (Nov 24).
The shortage of oncologists has also delayed the distribution of cancer-specific medical equipment to regional hospitals because those hospitals lack specialists who can operate the equipment, he added.
The doctors will be sent abroad through various fellowship programs in China, India, Japan, and South Korea that are cooperating with Indonesia in training doctors.
Indonesian doctors will pursue higher studies in interventional cardiology and other specialized fields under the fellowships for 6 to 24 months, the minister stated.
Menteri Kesehatan Budi Gunadi Sadikin
- VIVA.co.id/Maha Liarosh (Bali)
"We are keen to expedite the fellowship program in order to ensure more internists are capable of performing chemotherapy for patients," he said.
He also voiced hope the initiative could add to the number of Indonesian medical experts to provide earlier cancer detection and care for residents.
He underlined that support from stakeholders, including Indonesia's medical collegium, was essential to implementing the program.
"This policy may not be liked by all groups, but we need to remember that 234,000 people die of cancer every year," Minister Sadikin remarked.
Indonesia Pushes for Increased Local Drug Production
The Ministry of Health is currently focused on boosting domestic drug production to reduce Indonesia’s dependency on imported products.
