Criminal Law Expert of Universitas Brawijaya, Dr. Fachrizal Afandi, S.Psi., S.H., M.H. highlighted the alleged case of sexual harassment by a doctor against a patient that has occurred recently.
He said that the case of sexual violence involving a doctor from the Specialist Doctor Education Program (PPDS) was considered an “iceberg” phenomenon.
According to him, the case reflects the weakness of the sexual violence prevention system in an environment.
“This is the peak of crimes committed by people with sexual disorders. The key is in the prevention system,” he said when interviewed on Monday (4/15/2025).
Dr. Fachrizal said that although several campuses have formed a Sexual Violence Prevention and Handling (PPKS) task force after the TPKS Law was passed in 2022, its effectiveness still needs to be evaluated. He considered that the emergence of this case to the public was a signal that the task force was not running optimally.
“These task forces are not yet effective, so there needs to be an evaluation and strengthening. However, the presence of the TPKS Law and this task force also fosters the courage of victims to speak up, and this is a positive trend,” he added.
He also said that cases of sexual violence like this have been going on for a long time and are latent. However, now victims are starting to be more courageous in reporting through various channels, including social media. According to him, the increasing number of victims who dare to speak up shows that patriarchal culture still becomes the root of the problem that must be addressed systemically.
Dr. Fachrizal also highlighted the importance of strict SOPs, especially in the context of the medical world. “Doctors and prospective doctors must not misuse access to medicines to carry out similar actions in the future,” he said.
In closing, he expressed his hope that cases of sexual violence would not be resolved peacefully, but rather handled professionally. “There must be a comprehensive prevention system, and similar cases should not be resolved peacefully. They must be prosecuted legally to provide a deterrent effect,” he concluded.
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dr. dr. Wisnu Barlianto, M.Si.Med, Sp.A(K) does not condone acts of sexual harassment in any form, especially in a health service environment that should uphold the values of professionalism, ethics, and protection to patients and their families.
According to him, the hospital environment must be a safe place for patients.
And actually, a doctor before practicing has taken an oath, one of which is to maintain ethics.
“So if he does things like that, he has violated the doctor’s oath that he has taken,” he said.
He added that in education, a prospective doctor is equipped with education in ethics and how to deal with patients.
“Because we face a human being, not a machine. So there are things that must be considered when interacting with patients,” he said.
He gave an example of a small thing when a doctor examines a sensitive matter, he should not be alone but must be accompanied by a nurse.
“We have taught him when he was undergoing education.
In addition, when registering for specialist doctor education, there is an MMPI test. MMPI or Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is a psychological test that is commonly used to assess personality and psychopathology.
“So it looks at personality, integrity. So we already have a cutoff. If he is less at the assessment, he will not enter,” he said.
During education, even after becoming a doctor, he said ethical values were always applied in every scientific session or meeting.
“Including us, as pediatricians, we definitely have a session on ethics at every scientific event. That is always reminded,” he said. [RIB/OKKY/MIT/UB PR/ Trans. Iir]
