Mataram, University of Mataram — The University of Mataram (Unram) was entrusted with hosting the Coordination Forum of the Academic Health System (SKA) for Region V, organized by the Directorate General of Higher Education of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek). The forum was held on Thursday (24/10) in the Senate Conference Room of the University of Mataram Rectorate. Attended by the Director General of Higher Education, Prof. Dr. Khairul Munadi, ST., M.Eng., and the Rector of Unram, Prof. Ir. Bambang Hari Kusumo, M.Agr.St., Ph.D., the event served as a concrete step toward realizing the mandate of Asta Cita and Law Number 17 of 2023 on Health, through accelerating the equitable distribution of medical personnel, strengthening academic networks, and improving the quality of healthcare services for the public.

This coordination meeting is a follow-up to the Acceleration Program for the Provision and Distribution of Specialist and Sub-specialist Doctors, launched on 22 July 2025, in which the government aims to strengthen collaboration between universities and teaching hospitals under the framework of the Academic Health System (SKA). Region V of the SKA covers the provinces of East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara, with Unram entrusted as the host of the regional coordination forum to promote synergy, policy harmonization, and accelerated program implementation at the regional level.

As part of this acceleration initiative, Unram is currently preparing to open four assignment-based Specialist Medical Education Programs (Sp-1), Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Pediatrics, Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (ENT-HNS), and Cardiology and Vascular Medicine. The establishment of these specialist programs is expected to serve as a strategic measure to strengthen the availability of specialist medical personnel in Eastern Indonesia, while also expediting equitable access to referral-level healthcare services for the community.

The coordination agenda began with an update on the progress of the Acceleration Program for Expanding Access and Improving the Quality of Specialist and Sub-specialist Medical Education within the SKA framework, highlighting developments in the establishment of assignment-based study programs and the deployment of independently trained residents. This was followed by a presentation on National Policy Updates and a Panel Discussion with the Director General of Higher Education, Khairul Munadi, S.T., M.Eng., T., which focused specifically on the acceleration program for the provision of specialist and sub-specialist doctors in SKA Region V. The discussion was moderated by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Mataram, Dr. dr. Arfi Syamsun, Sp.KF., M.Si.Med.

With the conclusion of this forum, Unram reaffirms its role as a hub of collaboration in strengthening the academic health ecosystem in Eastern Indonesia and expresses its full support for the Specialist and Subspecialist Doctor Fulfillment and Distribution Acceleration Program initiated by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology. Unram maintains its full commitment to supporting the acceleration of equitable, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare services for all.