Human resources is one of the most important aspect of the health care system. However, currently the world is facing serious problems regarding the adequacy of health personnel. They are major obstacles in achieving health development goals and efforts. New innovations to increase the number of health care workers are urgent to be realized.
The 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) report titled “Working Together for Health” concluded that around 57 countries in the world did not have sufficient amount of healthcare workers. The deficit was around 2.4 million doctors, nurses, or midwives globally. This deficit potentially affected millions of people around the world as they did not receive enough essential health cares. However, rushing in producing new healthcare workers to meet the needs but ignoring their quality is not a good solution also.
As a response, FKKMK UGM together with The South-East Asia Regional Association of Medical Education (SEARAME), Indonesian Association for The Study of Health Profession Education (IASHE), and Indonesian Academy of Medical and Health Professions Education Experts (IAMHPE) held an international seminar of SEARAME 2018 themed “Improving the Quality of Health Professions Education for The Better Future of Health Services”, on May 5 – 8 2018 at Sheraton Mustika Hotel, Yogyakarta.
The president of SEARAME Indonesia, also FKKMK UGM’s teacher, dr. Titi Savitri Prihatiningsih, MA., M.Med.Ed., PhD., revealed that Indonesia is still facing some problems regarding the distribution of healthcare workers. Looking at the number of medical graduates per year, the ministry of Health had predicted that Indonesia would have sufficient amount of health workers by 2025. “The thing is the healthcare providers are still accumulated in big cities,” she said in a press conference held on Monday, 7th May at Sheraton Hotel Yogyakarta.
SEARAME is a regional medical education institution for Southeast Asia. As a non-governmental organization, SEARAME works under the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) which focuses on quality improvement of medical education. WFME itself has six associate members, corresponding to six WHO regions. They are AMEE for Europe, AMEEMR for eastern Mediterranean, AMEWPR for Pacific area, AMSA for Africa, PAFAMS for North and South America, and SEARAME for Southeast Asia.
In its work, WFME strives to improve the quality of medical education to improve the health services globally. “We promote the highest standards in faculty and curriculum development, simulation methods, linear education, admission procedures, tiered education pathways, and interprofessional education for health professionals as well as the planning aspect,” said President of WFME, Professor David Gordon.
“In this case, SEARAME is in charge of promoting, disseminating, and ensuring the WFME standard to be understood and implemented into a reference standard, and encouraging the implementation of accreditation in eleven member countries,” added dr. Titi Savitri.
In 2018, for the second time, FKKMK UGM hosted the SEARAME international forum. This bi-annual routine forum featured Keynote Speech of WFME President, Professor David Gordon and WHO Representatives, Dr. N. Paranietharan. The forum was also an indicator that SEARAME supports a WHO program that in 2020, all faculties of medicine in each country would have undergone accreditation. (intepreted by Leo-Foto/Dian)
