Essay LPDP : Kontribusiku Bagi Indonesia

CONTRIBUTING THROUGH MEDICAL SERVICE AND EDUCATION

By : Yunita Suryani

“Act locally, think globally”. This phrase is commonly heard especially when we talk about
environmental issues. Personally, this phrase can also be used to describe the way I would
like to contribute to Indonesia, my home country: by contributing to the communities amidst
which I am whilst implementing the ideas I would have learnt through the education abroad.

As a medical doctor, my contribution to Indonesia would be emphasized on the health sector,

as is stated in four areas of doctor’s duties : promotive, preventive, curative, and
rehabilitative. In 2012, I was involved in a social program along with 17 other students from
my university in a small village called Sukatani located in South Sukabumi, West Java. The
villagers were mostly low educated. They had very few knowledge and access to health
service. We stayed there for a month and educated the people regarding hygiene issues,
infectious diseases, degernerative diseases, healthy diet food compositions, and good toilet
habits. We also provided them free medical consultations. Through this experience, I
understood the essence of being a medical doctor: serve and educate people in need. I
continued this service in several primary health care centers (Puskesmas) and elementary
schools where I promoted healthy lifestyle to prevent infectious diseases.

Beside my activities in health care centers, I also tutor my colleagues and juniors who are
going to face National Medical Exam, an obligatory competency test for medical students
before being given a licence to undergo professional activities. I believe that what I did could
have a bigger impact to the society. The practical tips and knowledge I gave them could be
used to cure and help those in need. In the end, people will gain benefit from what I did
eventhough I did not reach them directly. Now, my former students are working in different
areas throughout Indonesia.

My biggest dream is to provide high quality health workers in Indonesia while keep being
productive in research area. For this, I believe that good medical education for Indonesian
future doctors is the key. Therefore, I want to be a lecturer in a medical school in Indonesia.
Medicine is indeed a very dynamic field that requires updates every particular periods. The
development of new drugs or latest inventions are required to cure emerging or previously
incurable diseases, to treat people in a better way with less side effects and to eliminate the
etiology of many diseases. For that, research plays a pivotal role in advancing medical
education. Indonesia is lack of immunologists since immunology is a complicated subject and
therefore, very few students are eager to study this. However, the number of allergic and
autoimmune diseases in Indonesia have raised constantly every year. I possess a great interest
in research regarding autoimmune cases whose prevalence have been high in Indonesia. The
latest research demonstrated that autoimmune diseases were incurable, but numerous
researchers were still working on the healing of these diseases.
Essay LPDP : Kontribusiku Bagi Indonesia

University of Glasgow possesses laboratories working on immunology-related research with

numerous immunology experts. These laboratories are in the first line of the world widely-
known latest findings concerning immunology-related diseases. I am tremendously interested
in becoming a part of these exquisite laboratories composed of incredible world class
researchers. I would like to learn and gain experience in these laboratories. Furthermore,
upon the fulfillment of my master’s program, I would like to continue immunology-related
research in an Indonesian laboratory, apart from being a lecturer in an Indonesian university.

John F. Kennedy, a former president of The United States once said, “ask not what your
country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. Thanks to the subsidy given
by Indonesian government for educational purposes, I was able to receive a good education in
a top public medical school with much attainable cost compared to private medical schools.
Therefore, I would like to give thanks to Indonesia, my home country through my dedication
in research and education to build a better generation of medical workers for a smarter and
healthier Indonesia.