Medical schools should reorient, update programs
Medical schools should reorient, update programs
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian medical schools should change their orientation from public service to high technology in line with the new global trend, according to Dr. Merdias Almatsier.
Almatsier, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Medical Association, told a seminar over the weekend that Indonesian medical schools are still preparing graduates to work in public health centers, while the global trend is technology-oriented.
"The consequence of globalization is the advent of more sophisticated medical equipment," he told a two-day seminar here on health care, which began yesterday.
Almatsier said that Indonesia "should anticipate this trend -- otherwise there will always be new reasons for foreign doctors to come here to handle the modern equipment," he said. The seminar was sponsored by the Indonesian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association.
Starting this year, the state-run University of Indonesia has anticipated the global trend by changing its medical school's curriculum, Almatsier said.
"This measure should be followed by other universities," he added.
Similar arguments about the need to alter medical education in Indonesia were put forward by Professor Iwan Darmansjah of the University of Indonesia's medical school and Ascobat Gani, Dean of the university's School of Public Health.
Iwan said Indonesian doctors tend to rely on "defensive therapy"; giving their patients many medicines without considering the impact on their bodies.
"It may cure one illness but may harm other parts of the body which are not immune to the medicines prescribed," he said.
Iwan said the approach caused many Indonesians to go abroad for medical treatment.
"Indonesian doctors should abandon this kind of treatment and start to use the medicine which is as effective as possible. This is called rationality therapy, and is popular abroad" Iwan said.
Meanwhile, Ascobat said improvements in medical education are badly needed, especially in relation to health insurance.
"We have no school programs on health insurance, while the market is so big," Ascobat said.
Indonesia's 196 million people, of whom 14 million are health insurance customers, constitutes the second-largest in the world, after India, he added.
"Such a huge market will be enjoyed only by foreign insurance companies, since we are not able to provide personnel," Ascobat said.
He said that the state-owned insurance company ASTEK is still hesitant about entering the health insurance business because it lacks staff with the relevant training. (01)