Standards for Higher Education in Health: Are They Aligned with World-Class Universities?
Higher education in the health sector bears immense responsibility. It not only produces academic graduates but also professional personnel who directly impact human safety. Therefore, academic standards in health higher education should not only meet national requirements but also align with those of the world’s leading universities and health education institutions.
INDONESIAN ACCREDITATION AGENCY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN HEALTH
Indonesia already possesses a comprehensive regulatory framework to ensure the quality of health higher education. The National Standards for Higher Education (SN-Dikti) regulate the curriculum, learning processes, research, and community service. Additionally, external quality assurance is strengthened through specialised accreditation bodies such as the Independent Accreditation Agency for Health Higher Education (LAM-PTKes), which assesses the quality of health study programmes. LAM-PTKes is internationally known as the Indonesian Accreditation Agency for Higher Education in Health (IAAHEH)—an independent accreditation body born from a consortium of various health professional organisations in Indonesia since 2014.
Rooted in the health professional community—from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, to midwifery and public health—IAAHEH has accredited thousands of study programmes across Indonesia (increasing from around 2,950 in 2015 to over 4,000 by the end of 2022), covering all levels of health education from diplomas to specialist and subspecialist programmes.
Furthermore, IAAHEH has a vision to become a globally recognised accreditation agency, driving Indonesian health education towards internationally quality higher education delivery. IAAHEH’s mission includes improving accreditation services, developing professional and accountable accreditation, and strengthening networks and recognition at both national and global levels. The core values upheld are trustworthiness and independence, along with the principle of Continuous Quality Improvement, which is a culture of sustainable quality enhancement within every health study programme.
This forms a crucial foundation because academic standards in advanced countries are typically not merely written administrative rules but part of a strong academic culture, combined with continuous quality assurance cycles, integration of research into the learning curriculum, tangible global collaboration, and involvement of international stakeholders. For instance, various global medical accreditation bodies encourage study programmes to provide evidence of student involvement in clinical research, internationally recognised scientific publications, and educational hospital networks connected to world research centres.
FROM QUANTITATIVE TO QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT
The shift in LAM-PTKes/IAAHEH’s assessment approach from mere quantitative indicators to more qualitative assessments based on actual academic practices is also a progressive step aligned with international practices. The focus is no longer on ‘complete administrative documents’ but on evidence that the curriculum, learning processes, graduate achievement proofs, research, and community service are truly implemented according to the formulated standards. However, significant challenges remain: whether the self-assessment documents and supporting evidence prepared truly reflect living academic practices or are merely produced to meet accreditation requirements.
Looking at examples from top global health universities like Harvard, Oxford, or Johns Hopkins, their academic standards are deeply tied to research strength and globally impactful scientific contributions. Harvard Medical School alone produces thousands of internationally indexed scientific publications each year. In contrast, although Indonesia has shown significant increases in the number of indexed scientific publications, gaps remain in quality, international collaboration, and impact on the global scientific community.
In this context, IAAHEH’s international accreditation scheme emerges as a new space for Indonesian health study programmes to be tested and recognised using international benchmarks. This accreditation internationalisation practice provides opportunities for accredited programmes to enhance international cooperation, facilitate graduate mobility for further studies abroad, and strengthen global academic reputation.
ASSESSORS AND ASSESSMENT
The role of assessors in this system becomes increasingly crucial. An assessor must not only check the completeness of administrative documents but also objectively evaluate whether academic standards are truly implemented in daily practices. Complete documents may merely be formalities if not supported by tangible evidence—such as student involvement in research, sustained academic collaborations, or learning mechanisms relevant to current health world needs. Therefore, assessors must possess academic experience, strong analytical abilities, and keenness in reading quality indicators that are often hidden behind numbers and formal certificates.
A good assessment process is not just a series of interviews and paper checks; it is deep communication between assessors and programme leaders, lecturers, students, educational staff, alumni, alumni users, hospital managers, and other external stakeholders. From this interview process, it can be seen whether the academic culture is truly alive in the institution or merely written in accreditation documents. Objectivity and integrity