Young Doctors from Papua Ready to Improve Healthcare through SIPSS Education

Six young doctors from Papua are currently undergoing training at the Police Inspector School of Graduates (SIPSS) Batch I 2025. They are Jack Johanes Pical, Ilham Aaas Hamka, Alex Stendly Nuburi, Herlambang Andreka Junior Dwi Putra, Arfinsasi Putra, and Marlina Putri Purnama Sari Pekpekai.

They come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, yet share a common goal: to provide the best healthcare services for the people of Papua. They are well aware that access to healthcare in Papua, especially in remote areas, is still very limited.

“I have seen firsthand how difficult it is to access healthcare services in Bintuni. Many coastal and mountainous areas lack doctors. Through SIPSS, I hope to become both a doctor and a police officer, so I can make a greater contribution to society,” said Jack Johanes Pical, one of the SIPSS Batch I 2025 students.

Alex Stendly Nuburi shared a similar experience. He explained that the natural conditions in Papua present unique challenges for both patients and medical personnel.

“In 2024, I worked at the Arbaiz health center in Sarmi Regency, which is about a 10-hour drive from Jayapura. The health center is very remote,” he said.

The shortage of medical personnel and healthcare facilities in Papua also motivated Herlambang Andreka Junior Dwi Putra. Since childhood, he dreamed of becoming a doctor to help his family. As he grew older, he realized that many others in his community also needed medical assistance.

“Becoming a doctor was my childhood dream to help people. Now, I have the opportunity to benefit more people by becoming a SIPSS student who will later be trained as a police officer with medical expertise,” Herlambang said.

These young doctors have big dreams of developing their careers in medical specialties. Some aspire to become specialists in cardiology, internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics, and neurology.

Marlina, one of the SIPSS participants, realized that there were no neurologists in her area. Many elderly people did not receive adequate care due to a lack of medical specialists in neurology, including her grandfather.

“During my internship in Merauke, I lived with my grandfather who was over 70 years old. He had a stroke, and at that time, there were no neurologists in Merauke, so my grandfather passed away. From that experience, I developed a sensitivity to this field,” Marlina recounted.

The desire to provide care to the underprivileged people in Papua, especially the elderly, was also expressed by Ilham Aaas Hamka.

“After becoming a police doctor, I want to continue my education to become a specialist, particularly in internal medicine. Why internal medicine? Because its scope of knowledge is very broad. For example, when there is a heart patient who is geriatric or elderly, they will definitely be consulted by an internal medicine specialist,” Ilham explained.

Arfinsasi Putra also expressed his desire to become an internist. He said that many people in the Papua Highlands suffer from internal diseases, but there are only general practitioners, including himself.

“Many people in the Papua Highlands have internal disease complaints, but there are only general practitioners, including myself. This motivated me to pursue a specialization in internal medicine to help those in need of healthcare services,” Arfin said.

Inspector General of Police, Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo, welcomed the aspirations of the six young doctors from the Papua Police.

“We greatly appreciate the dedication of these young doctors from Papua. Their presence in the Police Force will strengthen our efforts to provide optimal healthcare services for the community, especially in remote areas,” he said.

Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo also emphasized that this initiative aligns with President Prabowo’s government health program to improve access and quality of healthcare services in remote and underdeveloped areas.

“President Prabowo’s government is working to provide better healthcare facilities in remote areas, including Papua. The Police Force supports this by recruiting doctors through the SIPSS program. They will later be assigned to their hometowns in Papua,” Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo added.

These young doctors from Papua hope to complete their training soon and return to their hometowns to serve the people of Papua as both doctors and police officers, as a tangible contribution to improving healthcare services in their homeland.