What is the role of “internist” in Indonesia? What do patients expect from an internist?
Patients in Indonesia expect their internists to be very knowledgeable and to make accurate diagnoses. The majority of patients in Indonesia have faith in their doctors, but an increasingly large number of well-educated patients are seeking more explanation regarding their illnesses. Are young physicians pursuing internal medicine? Yes. In fact, we have to turn away 75 percent of candidates every semester (trainee recruitment is performed every semester). Internal medicine is still one of the most popular medical specialties, probably because of the perception that it is not as physically demanding as surgery, yet similarly respected and regarded in the community. The main barrier is that training centers are not able to accept and handle as many trainees as they would like. What inspired you to become a physician? Actually it was not so much inspiration as it was pragmatism and the result of realizing my own strengths. As a young doctor in a remote island in the eastern part of Indone
