“Why is it important to build disaster resilience? Some of the reasons are to protect human life, assets, property, reputation, reduce losses and the impact of disasters and even for national resilience. Because many nations have become extinct due to disasters,” said Prof. dr. Fatma Lestari, M.Sc., Ph.D., Professor of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Universitas Indonesia (UI) to the 2023 Public Health Study Tour (PHST) participants on Wednesday, July 8, 2023. Prof. dr. Fatma Lestari, M.Sc., Ph.D., gave material related to “Disaster Management in Indonesia” in one of the seminar sessions in the series of Public Health Study Tour activities that were held on 1 – 8 July 2023.
Indonesia is a disaster-prone country. This poses major challenges to Indonesia, including: the need for uniform disaster preparedness in society, identification of risks in all areas, adequate disaster funding for disaster management, raising funds for good public protection, and regulations that facilitate public services.
In disaster management, rich culture, language, and folklore can be used as a medium to disseminate disaster information to indigenous people, and especially persons with disabilities. The cultural richness and diversity of languages in Indonesia have a significant influence on the success of disaster management. One of them is with folklore. Folklore that is well known in Indonesia, among others, is through wayang kulit performances which can be a bridge to disseminate information about disasters to indigenous people. Wayang kulit is a promising disaster communication tool for indigenous people and promotes the adaptation and localization of disaster content.
Furthermore, Prof. Fatma said that the Center for Disaster Risk Reduction at the University of Indonesia (DRRC UI) develops and disseminates disaster information through digital platforms including the YouTube channel. The contents are also equipped with sign language to accommodate persons with disabilities with hearing impairments. Even the content has been articulated into the local context by providing options for different local languages such as Sundanese.
Apart from Prof. Fatma, PHST activities invited various speakers as lecture teachers from FPH UI lecturers and guest lecturers. Various experts involved as resource persons include Prof. Purnawan Junadi; Dr. Ede Surya Darmawan, S.K.M., M.D.M.; Prof. Dr. dr. Sabarinah, M.Sc.; Dien Anshari, Ph.D.; Dr. Tri Yunis Miko; Ahmad Syafiq, Ph.D.; Agustin Kusumayati, Ph.D.; Prof. Dr. Budi Anna Keliat, M.App.Sc .; dr. Nia Reviani, MAPS.; dr. Moon Samosir Omas; Dyandra Parikesit, MD., B.Med.Sc.; Regina Widhiasti and many other speakers.
The topics presented in this activity varied, such as the Health system in Indonesia, Disaster Management in Indonesia, Non-Communicable Diseases in Indonesia, Tobacco and Youth, Global Warming Effects on Public Health, Reproductive Health and Family Planning Policy, Population Development in Indonesia, Neglected Diseases in Indonesia, DHF and Malaria Prevention, Secondary and Tertiary Care, Stunting Updates: Indonesia Experience, Food Safety Challenges in Indonesia, and Mental Health in Indonesia.
PHST is an activity carried out by FPH UI in collaboration with the Australian Consortium for In Country Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) since 2016. ACICIS is a consortium that accommodates various universities in Australia who are interested in learning about Indonesia. One of the areas studied is public health. This activity was carried out in the form of short courses and field visits which were attended by 22 Australian students and accompanied by 7 student buddies.
The expected impact of carrying out this PHST activity can certainly expand the network of cooperation with various foreign universities and increase recognition of FPH UI globally.
