Rector of University of Mataram and Regent of West Sumbawa Agree to Establish Cooperation in Medical Education
Mataram, University of Mataram – On Friday, December 29, 2023, the Rector of University of Mataram, Prof. Ir. Bambang Hari Kusumo, M.Agr.St., Ph.D, and the Regent of West Sumbawa, Dr. Ir. H.W. Musyafirin, MM, held a meeting at the Regent’s Office of West Sumbawa Regency. The meeting aimed to discuss the cooperation between University of Mataram and the Regional Government (Pemda) of West Sumbawa Regency.
The cooperation focuses on the field of medicine, with the aim of opening educational opportunities for the brightest generation from West Sumbawa. This initiative arises because in recent years, the formation of general practitioners and specialists in West Sumbawa Regency has been difficult to fill. The last PPPK vacancy for 18 doctors only had two applicants.
Rector of University of Mataram Prof. Ir. Bambang Hari Kusumo, M.Agr.St., Ph.D explained, “We initiated this cooperation to provide medical education to the students of West Sumbawa Regency, with the requirement that after completing their education, they will return and serve in their origins.”
In the initial stage of cooperation, the University of Mataram will determine the quota for West Sumbawa Regency. The local government will later select the best graduates from a number of high schools in the region, including KSB graduates who are currently studying high school outside KSB. This quota will be contested internally by prospective students.
This cooperation scheme will be decided and signed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on January 15, 2024. In previous years, Universitas Mataram has successfully carried out similar cooperation with Central Lombok Regency, which has produced 5 medical students funded by the local government.
The Rector of the University of Mataram expressed optimism that this kind of cooperation could be a solution to fulfill the demand for doctors in remote or outermost areas in West Nusa Tenggara. This step is in line with the commitment of Mataram University to continue to contribute to the development of regions in NTB.