Indonesia Launches Incentive Program to Attract Doctors to Remote Areas

Indonesia Launches Incentive Program to Attract Doctors to Remote Areas
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Indonesia will start providing a monthly incentive of 30 million IDR (approximately 1,800 USD) to doctors working in remote regions, according to local media. The initiative aims to address healthcare disparities by attracting specialist and sub-specialist doctors to underserved areas.

The program will initially benefit 1,100 doctors employed at regional government health facilities. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that President Prabowo Subianto has approved the incentive, with disbursements beginning this month.

Healthcare equity remains a challenge in Indonesia, an archipelago where many rural and remote islands lack access to qualified medical professionals. The allowance, more than twice the average civil servant salary and comparable to senior specialists’ wages in urban private hospitals, is expected to improve recruitment and retention in these regions.

This incentive forms part of a wider presidential effort to enhance healthcare infrastructure nationwide, with a goal to equip every one of Indonesia’s 514 regencies and cities with at least one fully operational hospital.