Mortality rate due to heart disease and cancer in Indonesia, particularly in Yogyakarta, is high. It displays that most of Yogyakarta’s people are old, and medical personnel as well as health facilities to handle both diseases is low.
Hence, the circumtances brought Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) to collaborate with Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) of Muenster and Educational Hospital of Muenster of Universitätslinikum Muenster (UKM) of Germany. Both institutions cooperated in conducting health education and training. Supporting the cooperation, delegates of DIY’s governor from DIY’s local government and representatives of UMY visited Germany on 2-8 November 2015.
MoU signing was carried out by Rector of UMY Prof. Dr. Bamabang Cipto, M.A. a representative of WWU of Munster Dr. Ch. Hoppennheit, and Medical Director of UKM Prof. Norbert Roedar. The signing was undertaken at WWU of Munster, Germany, on 4 November 2015. Attending the signing as witnesses was Governor of DIY Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and a former chairman of regional Muhammadiyah of DIY as well as a member of Board of Director of UMY dr. Agus Taufiqurrohman, Sp.S., M.Kes.
Both parties agreed with organizing disease management education and training in several fields like cardiovascular, cardiovascular and endovascular surgery, cancer, and reproduction treatment. They also consented to share information, and conduct lecturer and student exchange.
The cooperation was an effort of UMY to establish Heart Disease and Cancer Management Center at PKU Muhammadiyah Unit II Gamping, Yogyakarta. Public may perceive the yield of the cooperation in the next six months at PKU Muhammadiyah.
Besides, in the visit, Governor of DIY accompanied by his spouse GKR Hemas and Head of BKPM of DIY Totok Prianamto also looked at learning and teaching methods at Medical Faculty of WWU of Muenster and health facilities at UKM.
Governor of DIY appreciated educational and facility development at WWU of Muenster and UKM. “I am glad to be here. The universities were advanced and creative to assist public health development. May the cooperation with Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta bring benefits and reinforce the relationship of both countries,” he expected.
Furthermore, in a interview on Tuesday (10/11) Rector of UMY Prof. Dr. Bambang Cipto stated that the cooperation must benefit UMY and Yogyakarta. For one reason, after the visit, UMY will foster and build the first Heart Disease and Cancer Management Center (Cardiovascular) in Yogyakarta. “Therefore, we hope that we can broaden the cooperation with DIY’s government,” he wished.
Besides visiting WWU of Menster and UKM, delegates of DIY also had a meeting with delegates of city government of Muenster, Health Ministry of Germany, and Embassy of Republic of Indonesia in Berlin. They also had gathering with Indonesian people in Munster and Berlin.
