Governor of Lemannas RI Outlines Medical Students’ Role in Supporting National Health Resilience

Lemhannas RI welcomed a visit from the Ikatan Senat Mahasiswa Kedokteran Indonesia (Indonesian Medical Students’ Senate Association) or ISMKI  during a company visit program at the Constitution Room on Friday (2/6). The visit formed part of ISMKI’s National Student Management and Leadership Training (LKMM).

During the visit, Lemhannas Governor Ace Hasan Syadzily delivered a lecture on the role of medical students in strengthening national health resilience.

“I would like to use this visit to share knowledge about the important role of the medical field in the broader context of national resilience,” The Governor said at the beginning of his presentation.

In his remarks, the governor highlighted several global health issues, including the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), the suspension of assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as outbreaks of Mpox, Ebola and AIDS that require substantial funding. He also mentioned the issue of fentanyl, a powerful painkiller entering the US from Mexico, Canada and China.

Ace added that medical students also face new challenges in the era of technological disruption, particularly those related to mental health. Rapid technological change, he said, has increased society’s dependence on social media, which can lead to problems such as cyberbullying, unfiltered digital consumption and a tendency toward instant thinking.

He further noted that Indonesia continues to face major health challenges, including stunting, disparities in healthcare services between regions, shortages of medical personnel and limitations in healthcare financing. If left unaddressed, these issues could create vulnerabilities that weaken national productivity, undermine social cohesion, destabilize national stability and reduce the quality of human resources. The Governor stressed that national resilience is not determined solely by military strength but also by the overall health condition of a nation.

He added that healthy citizens are the main drivers of development and the key actors in safeguarding and sustaining national sovereignty. “The quality of Indonesia’s future human resources rests on your shoulders in realizing our national interests and achieving Indonesia Emas 2045. Future doctors will serve as the frontline of national resilience in the health sector,” he said.

The company visit aimed to provide participants with insights into the realities faced by medical students and the broader state of healthcare in Indonesia within the context of national health resilience. Through the program, The Governor of Lemhannas RI hoped that the visit would motivate ISMKI participants to complete their studies and become leaders committed to advancing Indonesia’s independence in the health sector. (SF/SP/CHP/MDF)