Reconstructing Legal Protection for Surgeons Against Malpractice Claims under Law No. 17 of 2023: An Inspanningsverbintenis Perspective

Eva Susanti (Universitas Islam Nusantara, Bandung)
Happy Yulia Anggraeni (Universitas Islam Nusantara, Bandung)

Jurnal Iman dan Spiritualitas
Vol. 6 No. 4 (2026): Jurnal Iman dan Spiritualitas

The complexity of surgical procedures places surgeons at a very high medicolegal risk spectrum, where dissatisfaction with the final surgical outcome often leads to lawsuits and accusations of malpractice from patients and their families. This comprehensive research report in-depth explores the reconstruction of the legal protection framework for surgeons in Indonesia following the ratification of Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health, with an emphasis on the doctrine of the obligation of intention (inspanningsverbintenis). Through a mixed juridical-normative and empirical approach that integrates a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the implementation of informed consent in the 2019–2024 period, various systemic challenges were identified in the field. The findings indicate that the practice of consenting to medical procedures still faces fundamental obstacles in the form of a dominant paternalistic culture, low patient health literacy, and disproportionate delegation of authority to provide information to nursing staff. These deficiencies significantly disrupt the function of informed consent as a preventive legal protection. Furthermore, a hermeneutic analysis of the provisions of Law No. Law No. 17 of 2023 demonstrates a paradigm shift in law enforcement from a punitive approach to restorative justice. The Professional Disciplinary Council (MDP), mandated by this law, serves as an absolute filter before law enforcement can process allegations of medical negligence criminally or civilly. This regulatory reconstruction not only strengthens legal certainty through preventive and repressive measures but also encourages restorative justice based on proportional values ​​for medical personnel. Overall, this report concludes that legal protection for medical personnel has been structured to balance patients' rights to autonomy with the safety of medical practice, provided that medical personnel strictly adhere to applicable professional standards, service standards, and standard operating procedures.