Doctors go on strike: the price of a change in the health sector

The health sector is the backbone of a country, where lives are saved, hope is restored, and humanitarian services are carried out. However, ironically in many countries including Indonesia, this very vital sector often escapes serious government attention. This is reflected in various complaints from healthcare workers, including doctors whose rights are ignored, heavy workloads that are not balanced with the recognition received, and increasingly deteriorating health service facilities. Therefore, when doctors ultimately choose to go on strike, a very rare and risky action, it is not an act of defiance, but rather a loud call that deserves to be heard because this system is in crisis.

The reality on the ground shows that many doctors, nurses, and other medical staff are working under far from ideal conditions. Hospitals in underdeveloped areas lack equipment, staff, and funding. Even in big cities, although the infrastructure is more complete, the pressure on healthcare workers is extremely heavy, with long working hours, increasing administrative demands, and pressure from patients and their families becoming a tiring daily routine.

More than that, many young doctors complain about the expensive professional education system, which is not matched by good guarantees. They are trapped in a contract system, receiving low salaries, and often have to wait for years to obtain a permanent employee status. In fact, their profession is not just a job, but a calling that involves the life and death of others.

the patient became a victim
When doctors go on strike, of course the most directly affected are the patients; surgery schedules are delayed, emergency services are hampered, and consultations at community health centers and hospitals are halted. For those who are ill, this delay can mean a worsening of their condition, even death. Therefore, a doctors' strike always creates a dilemma between the medical staff's right to fight for their working conditions and the patients' right to receive health services.

However, it should be understood that a doctor does not immediately choose to strike as the first option; usually, before reaching this point, there have been various efforts at dialogue, mediation, and negotiation that have not yielded results. A strike becomes the last option, the most painful one, but sometimes the most effective to raise public awareness and urge the government to take action.

WILL STRIKING BRING CHANGE?
History shows that strikes, although controversial, can trigger significant changes. In some countries, immense public pressure due to disruptions in health services has led governments to take swift action. One example is the United Kingdom, where a strike by junior doctors a few years ago successfully reopened negotiations about the work and salary system. In Indonesia, when several doctors expressed solidarity through protests, some policies began to be reconsidered, although not always resulting in immediate changes.

The key to the success of a strike action is how the action is communicated and executed. If it is done while ensuring that essential services such as the emergency room or emergency units continue to operate, and accompanied by transparent explanations to the public, then public sympathy can be garnered. Conversely, if the action is carried out in an extreme and uncontrolled manner, the public may lose trust in medical personnel.

THE GOVERNMENT MUST BE MORE SERIOUS
Strike actions should be seen as a warning signal, not a form of threat. The government cannot continuously delay improvements in the health sector, starting with the recruitment system for health workers, equitable distribution of doctors to regions, appropriate incentives, and improvements in service facilities; all of these need attention and sufficient funding. Doctors and nurses should not be forced to choose between serving or surviving.

On the other hand, the public needs to be involved in this discussion; a healthy society is the result of a healthy system. If this sector is allowed to deteriorate, eventually the entire nation will bear the consequences. Health is not just a technical issue but a matter of humanity and justice.

Here is my response on the topic of doctors going on strike, I hope it can attract the readers' attention. Thank you very much to all the friends who have taken a little time to read my post, I hope it can be beneficial for all of us.
Greetings from me @furkanmamplam