Ministry of Health Screening Results are Important for Improving PPDS

The Ministry of Health's screening results provide important input for educational institutions. The burden on PPDS participants is more complex.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

Of the approximately 4,200 students in the medical study program at the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University in Bali, there are about 1,500 people currently undergoing a specialist doctor education program (PPDS).

DENPASAR, KOMPAS — Screening or screening of the mental health conditions of educational program students specialist doctors is an important asset for educational institutions, medical colleges and teaching hospitals to find out early on students' conditions. Students can take advantage of counseling services in the guidance and counseling unit or from their academic supervisor.

The Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Bali, Komang Januartha Putra Pinatih stated that screening of students' mental health conditions, including PPDS, has been carried out through personality and psychopathology assessments with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test at the initial stage of student admission. Students, including prospective specialist doctors, can experience mental stress or psychological disorders during higher education due to burdens in education or burdens outside of education.

"Therefore, this screening from the Ministry of Health is a good effort to detect as early as possible problems that prospective specialist doctors may experience," said Januartha.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Bali, Prof Dr Dr Komang Januartha Putra Pinatih MKes.

Also read: Depression, 3.3 Percent of Prospective Specialist Doctors Want to End Their Lives or Injure Theirself

Separately, a clinical psychologist at the Prof Dr. IGNG Ngoerah General Hospital (RSUP) in Denpasar City, Lyly Puspa Palupi Sutaryo, revealed that depression can be caused by various factors. Higher education programs, including specialist doctor education, have a high level of difficulty and complexity. PPDS participants are required to have comprehensive preparedness, including mental and physical readiness, as well as financial and cognitive abilities.

"With a high level of difficulty, (it) can create stressors for students," said Lyly.

With this condition, there may be students who experience difficulty in coping with stress during their participation in PPDS. If this condition is not immediately addressed and continues to be experienced over a long period of time, according to Lyly, it will lead to symptoms of depression, one of which is a feeling of helplessness.

It is also necessary to evaluate the education system for aspects that put excessive pressure on students.

Previously, in the Tuesday edition of Kompas (16/4/2024), the results of a questionnaire on 12,121 PPDS students in 28 vertical hospitals on March 21, 22 and 24 2024 indicated that 22.4 percent of PPDS students were detected as having symptoms of depression. As many as 3.3 percent or 399 people even admitted that it would be better to end their life or want to hurt themselves.

Also read:Emergency Conditions in Specialist Medical Education

The revelation of the vulnerability condition prompted Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin to order immediate treatment for the medical specialist student on Monday (15/4/2024). Priority treatment is given to those who show severe signs of depression. Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin also requested that the cause of the depression symptoms be accurately determined.

Januartha further added that his team at the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, had not yet received a report on the results of the mental health screening. However, Januartha admitted that the burden on PPDS participants is indeed high because prospective specialist doctors also meet patients in teaching hospitals every day and they have to think about patient safety in line with their educational program.

"This screening is good for detecting issues among students, including specialist medical education participants, because the possibility of stress exists," said Januartha.

"The results of this screening can be input for all parties involved in the medical education process," he said.

Regarding the mental health screening results, he stated that further examination is still needed to verify the accuracy of the answers in the questionnaire and also to identify the causes of stress experienced by the specialist doctor candidates. By identifying the causes, Januartha believes that the appropriate treatment can be determined.

"To confirm and identify the cause, assistance from a psychiatrist and interviews is needed," he said.

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

Illustration. Around 50 resident doctors participating in the specialist doctor education program (PPDS) at Sam Ratulangi University in Manado, North Sulawesi, held a protest demanding a reduction in education operational costs (BOP) on Friday (7/24/2020). The tuition fees, which reached IDR 24 million per semester, were considered too burdensome, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when their income was reduced.

Lyly also shared similar views. According to her, the screening conducted by the Ministry of Health can also be continued by educational institutions to monitor indications of the emergence of psychological problems among PPDS students. By identifying early indications of these problems, appropriate measures can be taken quickly through guidance and counseling systems, both by academic supervisors and psychologists or psychiatrists.

"There is also a need to evaluate the education system for aspects that put excessive pressure on students," said Lyly.