Depok-Katamataku UI, which is a multidisciplinary community service program at the Universitas Indonesia (UI), has carried out various activities for Persons Affected by Leprosy (OYPMK) since 2018 and continues to this day. It is a concern for the entire cross-faculty academic community at UI to the community through the application of the three pillars of higher education. One of the areas where the program was implemented is Sitanala, Tangerang, which is one of the Leprosy Villages.
Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, dr. Dante Saksono Harbuwono, SpPD-KEMD, Ph.D, emphasized, “To maximize the leprosy elimination program, OYPMK needs to get comprehensive attention and treatment. Not only medical and clinical reviews, but also programs that accommodate mental and psychosocial aspects. Therefore, cross-scientific cooperation that supports each other is needed.”
(Photo: Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia providing an explanation of the support that will be given to the Katamataku UI program)
This year, Katamataku UI not only designed programs for OYPMK, but also empowered family members and the surrounding community who do not have leprosy. The program carried out is a collaboration between elements of society in the form of a digital-based creative economy. One of the products that will be used as a flagship program is hydroponic plants with digital-based product marketing targets.
To support the program, OYPMK and the Sitanala community will receive assistance and training in digital marketing skills from the UI Vocational Education Program. The digital touch is expected to have a wider impact and reach of concern, so that efforts to eliminate forms of discrimination and social stigma against OYPMK and the surrounding community can run effectively and efficiently. In the hearing, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia will give full support to the Katamataku UI program because the program is included in one of the government’s program targets, namely the elimination of leprosy by 2024.
(Photo: Hydroponic plants that will be the digital marketing product of the UI Katamataku Team)
(Photo: Hydroponic plants that will be the digital marketing product of the UI Katamataku Team)
Katamataku UI is also encouraged to enter into cross-regional and international networks, so that real activities that have been carried out so far can be recognized and supported at the international level. The Indonesian Ministry of Health will facilitate the Katamataku UI program and activities so that they can continue to run and become a benchmark for other regions throughout Indonesia.
