Jakarta, November 25, 2024 – The Europe Today: The Indonesian government has announced plans to send 100 doctors overseas each year for advanced training to address the critical shortage of oncology specialists and improve cancer treatment services in the country.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin emphasized the urgent need for more oncologists, noting that their scarcity has hindered the deployment of cancer-specific medical equipment to regional hospitals, as these facilities lack specialists capable of operating the devices.
“One of the major issues in cancer treatment in Indonesia is the lack of oncology specialists,” Sadikin said in a statement on Sunday.
The initiative will be supported by fellowship programs in collaboration with countries including China, India, Japan, and South Korea. These programs, lasting between 6 and 24 months, will focus not only on oncology but also on interventional cardiology and other specialized fields.
“We are keen to expedite the fellowship program to ensure more internists are capable of performing chemotherapy for patients,” Sadikin stated, highlighting the importance of enhancing the country’s medical expertise to enable earlier cancer detection and treatment.
The minister called for broad stakeholder support, including from Indonesia’s medical collegium, to ensure the program’s success.
“This policy may not be liked by all groups, but we need to remember that 234,000 people die of cancer every year,” he stressed.
Sadikin expressed hope that the initiative would significantly improve cancer care across Indonesia, ultimately saving more lives and enhancing the quality of medical services nationwide.
