TRENGGALEK – A severe patient backlog at the cardiology clinic of RSUD dr Soedomo Hospital in Trenggalek has sparked concern among local lawmakers, who now urge hospital management to take immediate action.
The cardiology clinic overload has forced hundreds of patients to wait for hours every day. Local officials say the current situation has become unsustainable because only one heart specialist handles the growing number of cases.
Chairman of Commission IV at the Trenggalek Regional House of Representatives, Sukarodin, said patient demand has exceeded the hospital’s service capacity. He revealed that a single cardiologist currently treats more than 200 patients in one day.
“This is extraordinary. One doctor has to handle more than 200 patients daily. New diagnoses sometimes only begin in the afternoon,” Sukarodin said.
According to him, the long waiting time not only burdens patients but also risks reducing the quality of medical examinations. The heavy workload becomes even more difficult because the cardiologist also serves patients outside Trenggalek before arriving at RSUD dr Soedomo.
“He starts working in Ponorogo in the morning and then continues serving patients in Trenggalek until after midnight. That is an extremely heavy workload,” he explained.
Sukarodin stressed that a specialist doctor should ideally examine around 40 patients per day to maintain proper healthcare quality. With patient numbers reaching hundreds, he believes the hospital urgently needs additional cardiologists.
“If there are 200 patients, the hospital should have at least four doctors handling them,” he added.
Commission IV has asked hospital management to move quickly and create a concrete solution. If the regional government cannot immediately recruit civil servant doctors, lawmakers suggest bringing in outside specialists through cooperation agreements funded by the hospital’s regional public service agency budget.
The council also called for coordination between the regional health office and Indonesia’s Health Social Security Agency, known as BPJS Kesehatan. Officials hope better coordination can prevent patient concentration in a single clinic.
Besides increasing medical staff, lawmakers highlighted the importance of competitive incentives for specialist doctors. They believe attractive financial packages could encourage more cardiologists and other specialists to work in Trenggalek.
“If the incentives are attractive, specialist doctors will come. This is important to maintain healthcare quality for the community,” Sukarodin said.
The growing pressure on RSUD dr Soedomo reflects wider healthcare challenges in regional areas across Indonesia, where hospitals often struggle to recruit specialist doctors despite rising patient demand.