Sudirman Said Emphasises that Universities Can Serve as Primary Healthcare Facilities, Here is Why

Rector of Universitas Harkat Negeri (UHN) Sudirman Said believes that primary healthcare services must be accessible to all Indonesians. He stated that the complex challenges involved cannot be handled by the government alone. Instead, responsibilities must be shared through collective efforts involving all sectors, from the public sector (government), private sector (business actors), social sector (civil society), professional organisations, and educational institutions. This is where universities can and must take on a role. Sudirman Said expressed these views in his opening speech at the launch of the Primary Healthcare Impact Lab (PHIL) held at the Swasana Building of the National Research and Innovation Agency in South Jakarta on Thursday, 7 May 2026. Sudirman explained that PHIL is a concept for a centre of research and innovation in primary healthcare services. This concept was developed jointly by UHN, the Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI), and PT Tamaris Hidro, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School (HMS). “Universities are not just diploma issuers, but providers of solutions and laboratories for civilisation where science-based policy formulation is cultivated,” said Sudirman. He added that through PHIL, UHN will become a hub for primary healthcare research. Starting from clinics, Community Health Centres, Auxiliary Community Health Centres, to Integrated Service Posts, all will be involved as field research spaces. Beginning in Brebes, Tegal, and areas around the UHN campus, PHIL will be expanded to various locations where Tamaris operates. Through strengthened joint research with HMS as a knowledge partner and CISDI, which has a long track record at the grassroots level, lecturers and students are encouraged to conduct holistic health research. “We want the research not to end up as piles of academic publications, but to be applicable as real solutions to strengthen primary healthcare,” Sudirman revealed. Meanwhile, Prof. David Golan, Dean of Harvard Medical School at Harvard University, stated that globally, investments in primary healthcare have proven to have a significant impact on improving public health through promotive and preventive approaches. Prof. Golan views PHIL as a strategic step in building a centre of excellence at the regional level, both in research, services, and reform of community-based primary healthcare policies.