Indonesia’s Universitas Gadjah Mada has contributed to the increased awareness and knowledge of Indonesians on 3D printing and E-Pharmacy by providing a training and seminar on the topics.
A two-day 3D printing training and mentoring was conducted by the University’s Faculty of Engineering in collaboration with the Vocational Education Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
According to a recent report, 50 vocational school teachers from all over Indonesia were introduced to the 3D printing technology and applications.
As part of the training, participants were taught about 3D solid object makers from a digital model. This makes it easy for them to make all kinds of shapes and things.
Introducing 3D printing to vocational schools is necessary because the technology is one of the main technologies in the implementation of Industry 4.0.
It has become one of the disruptive future technology trends and Indonesians should have a good command of this technology if they want to grab the future opportunities it may present.
Therefore, the University is doing its best to spread 3D printing knowledge to the society, and that includes vocational schools.
Being able to master 3D printing would increase the expectation on innovative products coming from vocational schools.
Positive response was given to the training event as around 150 participants had initially applied for the event.
Unfortunately, only 50 participants can be accommodated so they narrowed it down and selected the eligible participants.
After the training, one best participant will be sent to represent Indonesia and join the events at the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) in November 2018.
Hopefully, this training will spread and be brought to other regions in the country as well because knowledge of the technology will be able to support the nation’s competitive advantage.
With the rapid advancement of information and technology, it is necessary that pharmaceutical care is not left behind.
According to a recent report, this was the message during the seminar called, “Electronic-Based Pharmaceutical Care Strategy in the Digital Era”.
Adjustments have to be made in order to guarantee the safety and quality of medicines, traditional medicines, cosmetics, health supplements, and medical devices during delivery.
Delivery of these goods fall under the responsibility of the pharmacists and it is their job to maintain the medicine’s quality assurance.
The quality of the medicine should remain the same to that when it first came out of the factory.
The task of delivering the medicines is usually followed by doing clearly written information documentation.
Pharmacists must ensure that the medical information is delivered and understood by the patients. The delivery should guarantee protection of patient confidentiality.
Moreover, pharmacists are required to interact with doctors, dentists, nutritionists, nurses, and others in the health sector. They are expected to formulate health policies together.
The national pharmacy seminar was made possible by the student association of the University’s Pharmacy Department.
The theme of the seminar was to address the changes happening in pharmaceutical care. Its focus is now patient-oriented whereas before, the focus was on being drug-oriented.
Hopefully, this will create a comprehensive service for the patients and improve their quality of life.
To address this, new innovations that are aligned with the technological development in the digital era are needed.
One such technology is the E-Pharmacy. This is a new system and must be disseminated to pharmacists as well as the community.
Although the breakthrough is already there, there is still a problem with the lack of regulation on the mechanism and implementation of E-Pharmacy.
This responsibility will fall under the Ministry of Health.
