Maranatha Hospital Strengthens Role as Teaching Hospital Through Obstetrics and Gynaecology Specialist Programme

Rumah Sakit (RS) Maranatha in Bandung is strengthening its role as a teaching hospital by supporting the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Specialist Medical Education Programme at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Kristen Maranatha. The programme is expected to not only produce competent specialists but also contribute significantly to improving the quality and equitable distribution of maternal and women’s healthcare services in Indonesia. The Acting President Director of RS Maranatha, Dr. dr. Hendra Subroto, Sp.PK, stated that the hospital plays a strategic role in supporting the clinical education process for specialist trainees by providing healthcare facilities integrated with academic activities. As a teaching hospital, RS Maranatha fulfils a dual function: delivering quality healthcare services to the community while offering a clinical learning environment that meets standards for prospective specialists. To support this role, the hospital is continuously developing its service facilities, including renovating polyclinics, improving support infrastructure, and strengthening service quality. This is part of an effort to create a modern, high-quality, and comfortable service and clinical learning environment for patients. “This infrastructure development is carried out to optimise community services while providing clinical learning facilities that meet standards for PPDS participants,” Hendra said in Bandung on Saturday. The synergy between RS Maranatha and the Faculty of Medicine at Universitas Kristen Maranatha forms the foundation for specialist medical education. This collaboration is realised through the integration of healthcare services with the implementation of the Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi, which encompasses education, research, and community service. In practice, the Faculty of Medicine is responsible for curriculum development, academic administration, and quality assurance, while RS Maranatha provides the clinical environment, healthcare facilities, and teaching staff who supervise the specialist trainees in their daily education and clinical practice. Through this collaboration, trainees gain direct experience handling various obstetrics and gynaecology cases under the supervision of competent medical professionals. This process is expected to build clinical and academic competence while strengthening professionalism, integrity, and medical ethics. The Obstetrics and Gynaecology specialist programme is also expected to have a broader impact on the healthcare system, particularly in West Java and other regions facing a shortage of specialist doctors. The programme aims to increase the availability of obstetrics and gynaecology specialists, improve the quality of referral services, expand public access to reproductive health services, and support government efforts to reduce the Maternal Mortality Rate and Infant Mortality Rate. Beyond education and service, the programme is directed towards encouraging research focused on real-world issues in maternal and women’s health. The results of this research are expected to support the development of innovations and improvements in service quality that directly benefit the community. Strategically, RS Maranatha aims for the PPDS Obstetrics and Gynaecology programme to produce graduates with excellent clinical and academic competence who uphold professional ethics. The programme is also directed to meet quality standards and achieve good accreditation, while evolving into a centre for collaboration in education, research, and maternal and women’s health services. In the long term, strengthening this programme is expected to make a tangible contribution to reducing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality through improved quality and access to obstetrics and gynaecology services. Hendra emphasised that the purpose of the specialist programme is not merely to produce specialists, but also to deliver direct benefits to the community through improved healthcare quality. “The PPDS Obstetrics and Gynaecology at RS Maranatha exists not only to educate competent specialists but also to be part of efforts to improve healthcare quality for the community, especially maternal and women’s health. We want education, service, research, and community service to run in an integrated manner to have a real impact on the health sector,” he explained. The commitment to strengthening specialist education is also directed at addressing broader challenges in the national health system, particularly the uneven availability of obstetrics and gynaecology specialists across various regions in Indonesia. The Head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Specialist Programme at FK Maranatha, Dr. dr. Aloysius Suryawan, Sp.OG., Subsp.FM., stated that equitable distribution of healthcare services is a focus of the programme through the education of specialists ready to contribute in areas that still lack SpOG personnel. “Our flagship programme is assisting the government in producing obstetrics and gynaecology specialists prioritised for regions that still lack SpOGs,” he added. He explained that the PPDS Obstetrics and Gynaecology FK Maranatha has accepted scholarship participants from several regions facing a shortage of specialist doctors, including North Maluku and areas in Central Kalimantan. According to Aloysius, the programme’s alignment with regional needs is a concrete step in supporting the strengthening of the national healthcare system.