Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta.  President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to establish 30 new medical faculties across Indonesia to address the country’s severe shortage of doctors, currently estimated at 140,000 general practitioners and 70,000 specialists.

“My target is to open 30 new medical faculties. God willing, this will help us meet the shortfall of 70,000 specialists and 140,000 general practitioners,” he said during the inauguration of the Integrated Service Building and National Neuroscience Institute at the National Brain Center Hospital in Jakarta on Tuesday (26/8/2025).

The president also announced plans to open 148 specialist and sub-specialist study programs this year in 57 medical faculties nationwide, as reported by antaranews.com. 

Without immediate action, he warned, Indonesia could face a 35-year wait to reach sufficient numbers of doctors for its 280 million population.

President Prabowo emphasized that health and education are cornerstones of democracy and must be delivered equally, stressing that corruption and inefficiency must not obstruct public access to quality services.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)