DISTRIBUTION ANALYSIS OF DOCTORS IN INDONESIA

Background: The distribution of health workers in Indonesia raises an interesting discussion since Indonesia, as an archipelagic country, faces various challenges, including a wide geographical area, in fulfilling equitable health services. Aim: This study identifies factors related to the distribution of doctors in Indonesian provinces. Methods: An advanced analysis of the secondary data was performed according to the "Data and Information: Indonesian Health Profile in 2017." The units that were analyzed in this study represented the 34 provinces of Indonesia. The variables that were assessed denoted the population, specifically the density and percentage of the poor population, as well as the number of doctors, hospitals, and primary healthcare centers. Results: The variability regarding the number of doctors was significant. A higher population increased the attraction for doctors to practice in the provinces. Furthermore, the study revealed the tendency of doctors to elect to work in provinces with more hospitals and primary healthcare centers. Conclusions: Of the five independent variables studied, four were related to the number of doctors distributed in the provinces. Population, density, the number of hospitals, and the number of primary healthcare centers were positively related to the number of doctors. The results of this study were pertinent to the policy regarding the redistribution of doctors in Indonesia.