The Health Ministry is in full support of a prospective bachelor’s degree program on traditional health professions at Airlangga University (Unair) in Surabaya, East Java.

As stated by the ministry’s traditional health services director, Ina Rosalina Dadan, during a recent visit to Unair, it supported the program given the need for alternative forms of public healthcare services.

For traditional medicine, the university currently has three-year and four-year associate degree programs that were introduced in 2005 and 2014 respectively.

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Additionally, Ina said Unair was ready to offer the program as it already had integrated services at the State University Hospital.

“The integrated services provided by Unair Hospital are very good. Hopefully a service that is integrated with traditional health care will make it more popular among the public,” Ina said as quoted by kompas.com.

Unair rector Moh. Nasih welcomed the ministry’s support and stated that the university would conduct further studies regarding the plan.

“We will prepare. If it is a real need among the public, why not [provide it?]. We should also look into the interest level among the students to see whether there are many who are interested in it or not,” he said.

Nasih added that it would first establish a study center on the subject prior to forming the program. “We will establish a study center for traditional health care. If all is ready, whether this year or next, we will be able to operate the program on traditional health professions.” (kes)