JAKARTA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia on Monday approved operating permits for 25 new specialist medical training programs as part of efforts to address a shortage of specialist doctors.
Presidential Chief of Staff Dudung Abdurachman said the programs are expected to help train nearly 56,000 specialist doctors for deployment across 481 districts and cities in eastern Indonesia and other underserved regions.
"We have just concluded a ministerial-level meeting marking the approval of 25 new specialist medical education programs," Dudung told reporters alongside Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
The approvals followed months of efforts to resolve regulatory differences between the health and education ministries that had delayed the expansion of specialist medical training.
Indonesia has long faced a shortage of specialist doctors, particularly in remote areas and regions outside major cities on Java. ■
