LEGAL REVIEW ON CRIMINAL LIABILITY OF DOCTORS IN MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE
Abstract
Medical negligence is one of the most complex issues in Indonesia's criminal law system and healthcare services. This problem arises when medical actions do not meet professional standards, resulting in harm, serious injury, or patient death. This research aims to analyze criminal law regulations regarding doctors' liability in cases of medical negligence, identify juridical and normative constraints in proving it, and offer directions for legal reform to achieve a balance between legal protection for patients and legal certainty for medical personnel. This research uses a normative juridical method with statutory, conceptual, and case approaches. The research results show that the criminal liability of doctors has been regulated in the old Criminal Code (Articles 359 and 360), the new Criminal Code (Article 474 of Law Number 1 of 2023), and Law Number 17 of 2023 on Health. However, there is no lex specialis that clearly distinguishes between professional negligence and medical malpractice, resulting in overlaps between ethical, disciplinary, and criminal violations. The main obstacles in proving the element of fault (culpa) lie in the difficulty of determining the causal relationship between medical actions and their consequences, weak medical record documentation, and lack of synchronization between professional ethical mechanisms and criminal law processes. Therefore, legal reform is needed to clarify the boundaries of criminal liability for medical personnel through the implementation of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), restorative justice, and professional liability insurance systems. Comprehensive legal reform is expected to create a fair, balanced health law system that provides legal certainty for all parties.
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