"Currently, we have more than 12 thousand babies with congenital heart disease," he remarked after attending an internal meeting with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the Presidential Palace here Tuesday.
Sadikin stated that Indonesian doctors are capable of performing heart surgery on around six thousand patients per year, while fast surgery is critical in treating congenital heart disease.
"If these six thousand babies are not treated, then they have a high risk of dying. If we wait, the risk will be even higher," Sadikin emphasized.
Meanwhile, Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health regulates the requirements and limitations for medical personnel and foreign national health workers (WNA) looking to practice in Indonesia. The minister explained that the arrival of foreign doctors to practice in Indonesia was principally to save the lives of six thousand babies with heart defects.
He admitted that several parties had yet to fully accept the policy while linking it to the quality of services of foreign and domestic doctors. The Faculty of Medicine from Airlangga University is one of the parties that firmly rejects the government from bringing in foreign doctors.
"This issue will be sensitive to them. They may think that our domestic doctors are better. However, this problem does not underestimate the ability of our doctors," the minister revealed.
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Sadikin believes that Indonesian doctors are adept at carrying out heart surgery. However, physicians in Indonesia are currently incapable of handling the increasing number of cases that necessitate performing surgery.
"We cannot wait any longer. We bring in foreign doctors to save the lives of these six thousand babies and 12 thousand mothers who will be devastated if their babies develop congenital heart disease," he affirmed.
