The Governor of South Sumatra, H Herman Deru, expressed his full support for the medical scholarship program initiated by Indo Global Mandiri University (IGM).

In the socialization of the medical program at the UIGM Faculty of Medicine, Herman Deru said that the people of South Sumatra generally recognize IGM University as one of the best educational institutions in the region. IGM University has proven itself as an educational institution that is not only qualified, but also cares about the development of education and health in South Sumatra, said Governor Deru.

Deru then highlighted the importance of equitable distribution of medical personnel in South Sumatra. Based on World Health Organization (WHO) standards that recommend a ratio of 1 doctor for every 1000 residents, South Sumatra, with a population of around 10 million, lacks around 2000 to 3000 doctors.

However, the biggest challenge is the uneven distribution of medical personnel in various regions. "We lack doctors, but what is more important is how to distribute these medical personnel evenly. This program from IGM University is brilliant because it provides access to overcome this problem," he added.

According to Governor Deru, through this program, South Sumatra will have a clear quality standard, with a medical faculty that has existed before and is now strengthened by the initiative of UIGM. He also appreciated UIGM's commitment to not only think about the quantity of medical personnel, but also the quality produced. We strongly support the provision of this scholarship, because this is a concrete step to improve the quality of medical education in South Sumatra, he said.

Governor Deru added that South Sumatra must be one of the main destinations in the field of medicine.

Every hospital must have excellence, and we encourage UIGM hospital to have excellence, for example in cancer treatment, so that it can become a destination hospital for the community, he said. Deru also instructed regents and mayors to support this program by proposing the names of prospective doctors who will return to serve in their respective regions after completing their education. (andhiko ta)