MAKASSAR – Access to health services is an important need for communities, especially for groups that need basic check-ups, dental and oral health services, and maternal and child health examinations. This need cannot be met through curative services alone; it also requires health education and early detection efforts so that people have the knowledge to look after their own health.
This issue is one of the themes of the collaboration between Hasanuddin University (Unhas) and PT Bio Inti Agrindo (PT BIA). Through the Faculty of Medicine (FK) and the Faculty of Dentistry (FKG), Unhas and PT BIA have carried out a health service mission in Merauke. The activity provided general examinations and treatment, medical consultations, dental and oral examinations and care, and screenings related to hypertension, diabetes, hepatitis, and other internal diseases.
Experience in the field has shown that community needs are broader in scope. Health services cover examination, treatment, education on healthy lifestyles, personal hygiene, and understanding of one’s health condition. Universities have a strategic role through their human resources, knowledge, and research capacity to design solutions suited to community needs.
To strengthen that role, Unhas and PT BIA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on developing the Tridharma of Higher Education. The signing took place in the Molar Room of the Unhas Faculty of Dentistry on Monday (10 August). The agreement is a step toward expanding cooperation that was previously realized through community service activities into education, research, and human resource capacity building.
PT BIA President and CEO Mr. Kong Byoung Sun said that the experience of carrying out the health service mission is evidence that the collaboration between the two institutions has produced real benefits, showing both a need and room to strengthen cooperation on a sustained basis.
“We hope this cooperation can continue in the form of programs that are closer, more sustainable, and more impactful. The spirit of togetherness, good service, and a commitment to serve are an important foundation for strengthening our close relationship in the future,” explained Mr. Kong Byoung Sun.
In the remarks of Unhas Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Jamaluddin Jompa, M.Sc., said the research capacity and human resources Unhas has can be developed through collaboration with industry. Knowledge produced in the academic environment needs space to be tested, developed, and used in addressing development problems.
“We hope the relationship that has been established can continue to be developed so that we can do better things and build ever stronger cooperation that brings mutual benefit,” Prof. JJ explained.
According to Prof. Jompa, Unhas’s strength also lies in its alumni network, which is active in many sectors. That network is part of the collaboration ecosystem between universities and industry, especially in opening access to industry needs and bringing Unhas’s human resources and research results together with problems that need solutions.
The cooperation is also aimed at opening a wider network at the international level. PT BIA is expected to become a link between Unhas and several universities in South Korea. That opportunity can be developed through research collaboration, human resource development, and industry cooperation.
PT BIA is a company engaged in oil palm plantation and processing in Merauke, South Papua. The company develops its business with attention to sustainability, community empowerment, and social programs, including in health, education, and community economic development.
With this stronger cooperation, Unhas and PT BIA are building a space for collaboration that starts from real needs. The experience of delivering health services is the starting point for expanding contributions through education, research, community service, and industry partnerships. (*/mir)
Editor: Ishaq Rahman
This article is an English translation of the original Indonesian report.