Bridging medical doctors' education and population health needs to address health disparities in Indonesia

Abstract The diversity in contexts such as population demographics, high burden of diseases, and geographical areas experiences numerous challenges to health care accessibility and adequate health staff skills, particularly for those in the disadvantaged areas, borderlands, and outer islands. This study aims to assess the current understanding and perspectives on public health skills and competencies among doctors in remote areas. A total of 93 participants in six remote districts participated in this study which used a rapid assessment procedures approach and focuses group discussion method. Overall, we found that current medical students should have both the medical skills and the ability to work within the local sociocultural context. The ability to early detect diseases and disaster mitigation is also needed. The findings suggest doctors have adequate health program management capabilities to provide recommendations in the formulation of local health policies. Therefore, educational institutions must develop sustainable strategic human resources according to regional characteristics for health across Indonesia. Keywords Keywords: health disparities, public health competence, rural doctor, Indonesia