Medan, July 31, 2026 – The Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FK USU), received an official visit from West Nias Regent Dr. Eliyunus Waruwu, S.Pt., M.Si., on Friday, July 31, 2026. The meeting, held in the Dean's Meeting Room on the second floor of FK USU, served as an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration between academia and the local government in improving healthcare services, particularly in frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged (3T) regions.
During the meeting, the Regent of West Nias highlighted several challenges facing the healthcare sector in the region, particularly the limited availability of professional healthcare personnel, especially specialist physicians. This shortage has affected the optimization of healthcare services at West Nias Regional General Hospital (RSUD Nias Barat). The issue is particularly important as the community's demand for accessible and quality healthcare services continues to increase.
The West Nias Regency Government expressed its hope that FK USU could provide support through collaboration in education, healthcare workforce competency development, strengthening healthcare service networks, as well as academic and community service programs that could enhance the capacity of healthcare services in the region.
In response, the leadership of FK USU reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the equitable distribution of healthcare services through the implementation of the Tridharma of Higher Education, encompassing education, research, and community service. As a medical education institution, FK USU has a responsibility not only to produce competent healthcare professionals but also to actively contribute to addressing healthcare challenges in various regions.
This commitment is also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) through efforts to improve access to and the quality of healthcare services, as well as SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), which emphasizes cross-sector collaboration in achieving sustainable health development. Through stronger synergy among universities, local governments, hospitals, and other stakeholders, disparities in healthcare services across 3T regions are expected to be further reduced.
The meeting was also closely connected to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FK USU and the Government of North Sumatra Province, which designates FK USU as the Academic Health System (AHS) Coordinator for Region I. In this capacity, FK USU is responsible for coordinating education, research, community service, and other integrated activities aimed at improving the quality of healthcare services within the AHS service area.
Through this collaboration, FK USU and the West Nias Regency Government are expected to develop more concrete and sustainable initiatives to strengthen healthcare human resources, expand access to quality medical services, and support the improvement of public health in West Nias and other 3T regions.