Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia will deploy hundreds of medical workers to disaster-hit areas of Sumatra after floods and landslides overwhelmed local health services, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told President Prabowo Subianto on Monday.
Budi said 600 health workers, including general practitioners, medical specialists, medical interns and nurses, would be sent to affected districts in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra. Of that total, 450 personnel are ready for immediate deployment this week.
“The first batch will total 600 people, with 450 prepared to leave this week,” Budi said during a plenary cabinet meeting at the presidential palace in Jakarta, according to a statement released by the presidential secretariat on Tuesday.
He said the government was prepared to transport the teams by military aircraft if required.
The minister said outside medical reinforcements were needed because many local doctors and health workers had themselves been affected by flash floods and landslides, limiting their ability to continue providing care.
The Health Ministry has therefore mobilised personnel from other regions, including doctors, specialists and medical interns, to ensure uninterrupted services for evacuees for at least three months, he said.
The policy follows direct instructions from President Prabowo, including guidance issued during a coordination meeting at Sultan Iskandar Muda Air Base in Aceh Besar District on Dec. 7, 2025, as the scale of the disaster became clearer.
Budi said the deployed teams would serve at hospitals, community health centres and field hospitals for about two weeks per rotation, after which they would be replaced by fresh personnel.
The rotation system was designed to prevent fatigue among medical workers operating in difficult conditions, he added.
During the briefing, Prabowo asked about the origins of the medical teams. Budi said recruitment had been opened nationwide, drawing volunteers from professional associations, universities and faith-based organisations.
“We opened nationwide recruitment,” Budi said, citing participation from major medical faculties and organisations such as Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, supported by a central volunteer database.
He added that many senior doctors and specialists had volunteered despite having to forgo income. Prabowo praised the initiative, thanking universities and civic groups for their support and calling the response “extraordinary.”
