MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, MAGELANG – Indonesia’s Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, stated that Muhammadiyah has made significant contributions to supporting the country’s medical sector.
He delivered the remarks at the launching of the Undergraduate and Medical Profession Program at the Muhammadiyah University of Magelang (UNIMMA) on Thursday (08/01).
In this context, the minister emphasized that Muhammadiyah, with its network of high-quality universities, plays a crucial role in supporting the state’s efforts to strengthen the national health sector in collaboration with the government.
“This country needs a great deal of support from Muhammadiyah. Our number of doctors is still only about one-third of what is required. In concrete terms, Indonesia is still short of around 280,000 to 300,000 doctors to reach the global average.” he explained.
The minister further highlighted a second key issue, namely the unequal distribution of doctors across Indonesia’s vast regions. He, then, expressed hope that Muhammadiyah, which currently manages 164 higher education institutions, would continue to contribute to producing medical professionals throughout the country.
“I would like to thank Muhammadiyah for establishing 23 medical programs. Hopefully, within the next 10 years, this number can multiply,” he said.
“With this increase in quantity, we expect a more even distribution of medical faculties across Indonesia, which in turn will contribute to a more equitable distribution of doctors nationwide,” the minister concluded. (Bhisma) (Translated by Bintang Adrian)
