Dean of Faculty of Medicine, IPB University: Assisted Villages and Agromaritime Ecosystems are the Strength of Community-Based Medical Education
The Faculty of Medicine (FK) IPB University emphasizes its commitment to developing a community-based medical education model, especially in rural areas.
Through this approach, IPB University seeks to produce doctors who are not only scientifically superior, but also have empathy and high commitment to rural communities.
Dean of FK IPB University, Dr dr Ivan Rizal Sini, MD, FRANZCOG, GDRM, MMIS, SpOG stated, medical education in rural areas is an urgent need for Indonesia. This is closely related to the country’s vast geographical conditions, socio-economic diversity, and the challenge of equitable distribution of health services.
“Medical education in Indonesia needs to balance the depth of medical knowledge and empathy for the social conditions of the community. An empathic mindset towards the community must be formed from the beginning of medical education,” he said.
Dr Ivan explained that the distribution of doctors to non-urban areas is still very dependent on the ‘passion’ and ‘commitment’ of the graduates. For this reason, community medicine-based education needs to receive full support from various stakeholders, including the government, academics, and the community.
He emphasized the importance of supporting infrastructure as a prerequisite for mindset change. “We need to create a learning ecosystem that allows students to directly experience the challenges in rural areas. That’s where the big opportunities and added value are,” he said.
The existence of more than 6.000 assisted villages and the strength in the agromaritime ecosystem is a distinct advantage for IPB University in developing rural-based medical education. With a transformative approach that has been proven in several countries, FK IPB University has begun to adopt the community learning model since its inception.
“We learn from successful community medical education models at the University of Minnesota (US) and Flinders University (Australia), where exposure to clinical problems in the community can improve competence in both general and specialty fields,” he added.
Exposure to local wisdom is also a strength. FK IPB University, for example, provides learning about medicinal plants and herbs based on scientific evidence, so that graduates are able to provide appropriate education to the community in utilizing local biological wealth.
However, Dr Ivan is not blind to the challenges he faces. One of the biggest obstacles, he says, is the perception that becoming a doctor in the regions is a less than ideal choice.
“Many still think that access to knowledge and welfare will be limited if they work in rural areas. In fact, that’s where the ‘blue sea’ lies where opportunities are vast without much competition like urban practices,” he explains.
To strengthen this step, IPB University has established strategic cooperation with Flinders University Australia. This collaboration includes student and lecturer exchanges, observation visits, and scholarships for S2 and S3 further studies, especially in the fields of family medicine and primary care.
“This partnership will pave the way to international standardization and become part of FK IPB University’s international roadmap. We want our students and lecturers to gain first-hand experience in the community-based medical system in Australia, especially through programs that have been successfully implemented in the Northern Territory and South Australia,” he said. (IAAS/RWA)
