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Industry 4.0 and Health Services

President Jokowi has chosen Dr. Terawan Agus Putranto as the health minister for the second term of his administration. What is the direction of the Health Ministry’s health policy to answer challenges in the future? Before getting there, it is better for us to review the achievements of the health sector over the past five years. The most monumental breakthrough of the first period of Jokowi’s administration was the application of national health insurance through the Social Security Management Agency (BPJS). This is arguably a revolutionary policy in the health sector. Nevertheless, this policy still bears serious problems. The main problem that has not been resolved until now is the overdraft of BPJS financing. Hundreds of partner hospitals have not been paid by BPJS, causing some to go bankrupt. The commotion of the BPJS deficit has colored news throughout the year. Indonesia has the second highest prevelance in ASEAN (under Timor Leste) in terms of the number of stunted children due to lack of nutrition. This is certainly not something to be proud of.

Responding to the Pandemic Modeling

Ratna Megawangi’s article, “Coronavirus and Panic Statistics” (Kompas, 20/6/2020), is interesting to discuss. The article comments on the prediction of the spread of the coronavirus by mathematical modeling, as widely presented by experts.   In particular, Ratna reviewed predictions made by Dr. Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London, an epidemiologist who from the start was keen to suggest that a lockdown be implemented in England. With the mathematical modeling he made, in mid-March Ferguson predicted the death toll due to the coronavirus in the UK would reach 510,000 people if no lockdown was tightly applied. This prediction is what makes many parties panic. According to Ratna, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who initially believed in the herd immunity scenario, eventually shifted to trusting Ferguson to apply the regional quarantine alias total lockdown. And, the fact was that, as of Wednesday (24/6/2020), Worldometer data recorded the number of positive cases in the UK at 306,210, of whom 42,927 had died. It is very low compared to the 510,000 infections according to Ferguson’s prediction if the lockdown was not implemented.

Effect of Cayratia trifolia Ethanol Extract on Bcl-2 expression and Apoptotic Cells in Dmba-induced Breast Cancer of Sprague Dawley Rats

Abstract The study aimed to clarify the effect of the administration of ethanol extract of Cayratia trifolia plants to breast cancer. This study was an experimental study using female animal model of Sprague Dawley rats, consisting of three groups, K0, the normal experimental animals, K1, the experimental animals with breast cancer receiving CMC 0.5%, and KP, experimental animals with breast cancer receiving ethanol extract of Cayratia trifolia in a dose of 300 mg/kgBW at 0.5% CMC. The material to induce breast carcinoma formation was DMBA of 20 mg/kg in corn oil. The extraction of Cayratia trifolia plants used ethanol. The variables were the number of cells expressing Bcl-2 observed with immunohistochemical methods, and the number of cells undergoing apoptosis, which was observed using tunnel assay method. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA test. The number of cells expressing Bcl-2 and those undergoing apoptosis in breast cancer tissue between groups of animals receiving and not receiving ethanol extract of Cayratia trifolia showed significant difference (P<0.05). Oral administration of Cayratia trifolia ethanol extract has an effect on the decrease in the number of cells expressing Bcl2 and an increase in the number of cancer cells undergoing apoptosis. 

Key to being at Peace with Coronavirus

For more than three months, we have been struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. The peak of the infection and death curves have not yet been visible. The broader sector of our lives is affected badly. We are increasingly forced to survive until one day a vaccine and medicine are found. We are forced to increasingly accept the presence of this virus as a reality, although it is very dangerous. This is the “order” of the new world because of COVID-19. The fields of health, the economy, social relations, political processes and work culture all change and reformat the rules of the game. The new format can be long-term, even permanent. Because, it is estimated, this coronavirus will not be destroyed at all. Its ability to spread, mutate, and adapt to it new host is very quick. The coronavirus continues to mutate to maintain its life, while humans must also survive with their immune system, which is basically very sophisticated. Therefore, a kind of invitation arises that we begin to get used to living with the coronavirus, the invisible “cunning and cruel parasite”.

UNAIR co-hosts Asian Undergraduate Summit 2019

UNIVERSITAS AIRLANGGA NEWS – Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) supported the organization of International Asia Undergraduate Summit (AUS) 2019 themed “Leadership in a Complex World: Harnessing Untapped Potential”. The program is initiated by National University of Singapore (NUS). This is the fourth year for Universitas Airlangga as a co-host of international events. This event was held from Monday, July 8 to Saturday, July 13 at Campus C UNAIR.