TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Around one thousand doctors staged a protest in front of the State Palace on Monday, October 24, 2016. The protest was staged to reject the government’s Primary Services Doctors (DLP) education program.

The protesters argued that the program is a waste of the State Budget and would require a long time to complete. "Just imagine, a doctor has to go to [another] school for nine years," said Yusi Febrianti, a doctor from Central Java on Monday, October 24, 2016.

Febrianto explained that the doctors were reluctant towards the DLP program although the government argued that the program was originally intended to increase doctor's competence. Doctors claimed that they are perplexed by the amount of time a doctor must spend to achieve the DLP status.

Febrianto said that the duration of medical education to obtain a doctor's bachelor degree is already considered long, which can take up to six years. Later on, a doctor is mandated to take part in an internship program for one year, followed by another two years of training as part of the DLP program.

Spokesman for the protest Agung Sapta Adi, asserted that the program would be a waste to be implemented. Agung argued that other than wasting State Budgets, the program will not solve problems related to health services.

DANANG FIRMANTO