Anambas Islands, April 30, 2025 - On Wednesday, April 30, 2025, the UGM Faculty of Law, through the Master of Health Law Study Program students and Pusat Konsultasi Bantuan Hukum (PKBH) Work Unit, successfully held Health Counseling activities in Letung, Jemaja District, Anambas Islands Regency, Riau Islands Province. This event was made possible thanks to the good cooperation between the organizers and DoctorSHARE, the Anambas Islands Regency Government through the Health Office and Health Center in the Jemaja area, SD Negeri 004 Letung, and support from Sinarmas Mining.
The implementing team from the UGM consisted of representatives of the students, namely dr. Nabila Khairunisa, dr. Kenya Leilani, dr. Muhammad Rizky Bafadhal, I Wayan Artawan, S.H., La Ode Akbar Alikhan, S.H., and representatives from PKBH, namely Sahl Radian Setyaki.
The Health Counseling carried out was part of an effort to realize the Tri Dharma of Higher Education through Community Service in the Anambas Islands Regency. The main objective of this event is to improve the health level and legal awareness of the community in the Frontier, Outermost, and Disadvantaged (3T) areas in Indonesia.
The counseling event was divided into 2 sessions. The first session was held from 08.30 to 10.30 at SD Negeri 004 Letung, with the theme of Clean and Healthy Living Behavior (PHBS). There were 29 elementary school children in the first grade who participated in the counseling. Although education about PHBS has been carried out frequently, this has not yet become a culture in the community. Education needs to be carried out repeatedly and started early, so that it will become a good habit.
The children were taught how to wash their hands and brush their teeth properly. The event was interactive, with direct practice by the children, guided by the counselors. The children who participated in the counseling seemed enthusiastic and happy to participate in this activity. "I am happy with the presence of the older siblings, and I hope there will be more counseling in schools," said Fatih (7 years old), one of the counseling participants.
Positive responses also came from the teachers. Mrs. Yayuk (39 years old), a first grader’s teacher at SD Negeri 004 Letung said, "I thank the students of the UGM Faculty of Law who are willing to attend this elementary school, hopefully it can be a better program. I also hope that other universities can visit, because this is the first visit by a university to SD 004 Letung."
The second session of the health counseling event was held from 13.00 to 15.00 WIB, moving the location to Berhala Letung Harbor. The theme raised was about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and the Dangers of Early Pregnancy. This theme follows the health problems that are of concern to the Jemaja Health Office, where the incidence of STIs is still quite high due to prostitution practices in the area around the port. By implementing this counseling, it is hoped that it can reduce the rate of STI transmission and the negative effects of early pregnancy in the future.
The counseling was attended by 25 people who were local residents, as well as patient attendants who were waiting for their families who were undergoing minor surgery on the ship hospital (RSK) owned by DoctorSHARE, namely RSK dr. Lie Dharmawan II. The event was quite lively, with questions from the counseling participants.
The counseling participants felt the benefits of this event. Mrs. Wan Norazizah (33 years old), one of the counseling participants, said, "Thank you very much to the MHKes FH UGM and DoctorSHARE students who have been very friendly and helpful because they have provided free health services and free health counseling."
One of the representatives of the MHKes FH UGM students, dr. Kenya Leilani, expressed her enthusiasm to be able to directly provide counseling to the community, and also commented, "I am grateful for the response of the counseling participants who welcomed the health counseling that was delivered, especially when meeting with 1st grade elementary school children who were not shy, and all of them wanted to actively participate in the activities. I hope that what we have conveyed can stick and be useful for the entire community."
The health counseling that has been running smoothly is expected to be able to support the implementation of the SDGs, especially Goal 3, which is to ensure a healthy life and welfare, and Goal 10, to reduce inequality, especially in health services in the 3T areas. Of course, this activity is also expected to strengthen partnerships to achieve sustainable development goals, following Goal 17 of the SDGs.
Authors: Budiatri Retno Noormaningrum and Sahl Radian Setyaki
