UNAIR NEWS – An academic collaboration was established by Universitas Airlangga with the Indonesian Military (TNI). The signing session of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday, February 4, 2022, in Amerta Room, 4th Floor, Management Office Building UNAIR Campus C marked the commitment. The collaboration focused on procuring specialist doctor education programs.
TNI Commander General Andika Perkasa and other TNI leaderships were present. Rector Prof. Dr. Mohammad Nasih SE MT Ak represented UNAIR accompanied by other UNAIR leaderships.
In his speech, Prof. Nasih responded positively to the collaboration. Considering that UNAIR-TNI have often held collaborations before, especially when it comes to alleviating health problems.
The needs of medical specialists
“One of the nation’s pressing problems is disparities in health care. Especially the availability of medical specialists in Indonesia,” said UNAIR Rector.
Prof Nasih said Indonesia only has about 41,000 medical specialists and 145,000 general physicians. It means one specialist must serve more than 6,000 people.
“It’s certainly not easy,” he stated.
Compared to the number of provinces in Indonesia, added Prof. Nasih, only 41 percent of the regions has adequate medical specialists. The disparity of medical specialists between cities and districts is still relatively high.
“This is a problem that we must solve together,” said UNAIR Professor of Faculty of Economics and Business.
UNAIR sees TNI’s excellent facilities and enormous potential for collaboration, especially in meeting the needs of medical specialists ready to be placed in areas in need.
Prof. Nasih stated that the collaboration between UNAIR and TNI was realized in university-based collaboration as a means of formal education and utilization of TNI hospitals’ potential as laboratories. TNI hospital can be the primary place of education for students.
As planned, continued Prof. Nasih, the collaboration will begin in the odd semester of 2022. There are currently nine programs of the Faculty of Medicine (FK) UNAIR that could potentially be included in the program.
Nine programs
UNAIR will continue to increase the number of programs involved in the collaboration, especially those from outside the Faculty of Medicine (FK). For example, the specialist program of the Faculty of Dental Medicine (FKG). Later, a total of about 14 programs, including from the Faculty of Dental Medicine (FKG), will be involved in the cooperation.
“We will also cooperate with Faculty of Medicine (FK), Dr. Soetomo Hospital (RSDS), Universitas Airlangga Hospital (RSUA), and with the Profession Collegium to make this program a success, ” he stated.
Prof. Nasih mentioned that UNAIR-TNI did not only cooperate in medical specialist education programs. Both institutions also continue to push and develop other programs such as the development of red and white vaccines and malaria.
“I hope that we (UNAIR-TNI, ed) will continue to work together, shoulder to shoulder, to build Indonesia’s resilience and progress,” he said. (*)
Author: Alysa Intan Santika
Editor: Feri Fenoria
