A committee from the People’s Representative Assembly (DPR) visited Universitas Gadjah Mada on Friday (17/2) to collect aspirations on the plan to establish doctor’s education programme on primary services from academics, medical society, professional organisations, government officials, and other related groups in Yogyakarta.
Committee chairman, Ferdiansyah, S.E., M.M., said the visit was to carry out their controlling function of the Parliament on the medical education, especially the establishment of medical education study programme. It is a continued medical profession programme and internship programme that is equal to a specialist programme.
“The law for the medical education is already a long time coming after some years regulations have not come into being. We urge the government to soon complete the matter and the government has said to finish the medical education regulations by April,” he said.
Ferdiansyah hoped the visit to UGM would produce input and factual data related to conditions and barriers. “We hope that UGM can help give solution and recommendation to the government related to the establishment of medical education programme,” he said.
Rector of UGM, Pro.Ir. Dwikorita Karnawati, M.Eng., Ph.D., welcomed the visits of the MPs. She hoped the discussion that was done would produce input and solution to the matter.
Dwikorita also proposed to develop the Academic Health System (AHS) in order to improve community health services. She saw it important to extend the networks of AHS to improve the quality of medical education.
“With more hospitals getting involved, the medical graduates quality will get better,” she said.
Dean of Faculty of Medicine UGM, Prof. dr. Ova Emilia, M.Med.,Ph.D., Sp.OG(K)., supports the establishment of the government medical education programme because it provides opportunities to the enhancement of human resource in primary service. “We do support the establishment of the government medical education programme
Ova said since the 1970s, Faculty of Medicine UGM had applied community services based education. UGM focuses on this area because primary services are still marginalised whilst it is mostly accessed by the rural people.
Another participant, Acting Rector of Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII), Dr. Ing. Ir., Ilya Fadjar Maharika, MA. IAI., expressed the readiness of UII to establish the medical education programme because their competence is much required amidst the limited numbers of doctors in Indonesia for community health services.