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View all search resultsBehind the white coat: The human cost of being an intern doctor in Indonesia
Six deaths in six months have put the country’s medical internship program under scrutiny, exposing concerns over workloads, supervision and protection for those who speak up.
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Doctors perform a free cataract eye surgery on a patient under a charity program funded by the Ministry of Health at Meuraxa Hospital in Banda Aceh, Aceh, on June 14, 2026. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
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fter six months of working regular daytime hours at a community health center, intern doctor Nuha Amalia Alkatiri, 24, had to readjust her body clock when she was assigned to a regional hospital and began rotating between morning, afternoon and overnight shifts.
At the community health center, Nuha sees around 40 patients a day. At the hospital, she sees about 20.
“Mondays are usually hectic days, whether I’m at the community health center or the hospital. At the health center, we can see 60 to 70 adult patients in a day,” Nuha said.
Despite the demanding schedule, she said she could still get six to eight hours of sleep a day.
On her days off, she said, she was able to take a genuine break because other doctors at the hospital covered the shifts.
For Nuha, the work has also brought moments that made the long hours worthwhile. She said she found it deeply fulfilling when patients and their families showed heartfelt gratitude as their health improved.
But not all intern doctors have had the same experience.
