State of emergency medicine in Indonesia

Objectives As an emerging country with the fourth largest population in the world, Indonesia's purchasing power has strengthened, leading to socioeconomic changes that affect its healthcare system. Additionally, there is a surge of healthcare utilisation after the implementation of a new national insurance scheme, particularly within emergency departments. Similar to other low- to middle-income countries, Indonesia has not prioritised the progress of emergency medicine despite existing evidence that suggests that the early intervention of many acute conditions lowers the rates of morbidity and mortality. This article will review the past and current state of emergency medicine in Indonesia. Methods The information gathered through PubMed, Ovid, and private and government institution databases, using the search term 'Indonesia', 'Emergency Medicine', 'Emergency Medical Services', and 'Disaster Medicine'. Additionally, we interviewed physicians who are involved in the development of emergency medicine in Indonesia. Results Indonesia's emergency medicine can be broken down into three sections: pre-hospital, hospital and the development of emergency medicine as a specialty. At the pre-hospital setting, disaster medicine and emergency medical service have not been established well enough to meet the demands of the population. For hospitals, there are two types of emergency departments - academic versus non-academic. Currently, there is no accredited emergency medicine residency programme despite the recognition of the specialty. Conclusion The development of emergency medicine in Indonesia is in its infancy and will require rapid improvement to meet its country's demand. Academic, private and government sectors need to collaborate to promote and invest in emergency medicine.