The equitable distribution of medical specialists remains one of the most persistent structural challenges within Indonesia’s national health system. Although the number of medical specialists has increased significantly in recent years, severe maldistribution continues to occur, with the majority concentrated in Java and Bali, while frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged regions (3T areas) experience critical shortages. This article analyzes the legal responsibility of the Indonesian government not only to produce medical specialists but also to ensure their long-term sustainability and retention as strategic instruments for achieving equitable specialist healthcare services.

This study employs a normative juridical approach combined with a literature review. The research examines the principal legal frameworks, particularly Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health, which introduced the Hospital-Based Specialist Medical Education Program, Presidential Regulation Number 31 of 2019 concerning the Utilization of Medical Specialists, and the constitutional provisions contained in Article 28H of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.