Jakarta, Nov. 25 -- Indonesia plans to open 150 new medical residency programs to produce more specialist doctors and improve their distribution nationwide, Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said on Tuesday.

Speaking after the First National Forum of the Indonesian Health Council in Jakarta, he said Indonesia continues to face an uneven distribution of doctors, with areas such as Papua experiencing acute shortages.

To address this, the government will strengthen medical education by offering fully funded residency programs for local talent.

"This morning, I met with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology to discuss plans to open 150 new residency programs to train specialist doctors who will be deploy...