Empowering Health Volunteers: ITB and Poltekkes Gorontalo Educate on Rational Drug Use in Boalemo

On Friday, August 23, 2024, a team from the School of Pharmacy at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) collaborated with the Health Polytechnic (Poltekkes) of the Ministry of Health in Gorontalo to conduct a community service activity at the Botumoito Community Health Center in Boalemo Regency, Gorontalo Province. This event focused on educating the community about the DAGUSIBU concept, a guideline for the proper acquisition, usage, storage, and disposal of medicines.

The event, held on Jl. Trans Sulawesi, Botumoito District, began at 1:00 PM WITA and was attended by 35 health volunteers from the Botumoito Health Center. The Head of the Gorontalo Health Center, Israhmawaty Saripi, A.Md., Kes., also participated and showed great enthusiasm for the program.

The activity began with the distribution of personal data questionnaires and a pre-test aimed at measuring the participants' understanding of the DAGUSIBU concept. Following this, Bhekti Pratiwi, a lecturer from the School of Pharmacy ITB, opened the event with a welcome speech, followed by remarks from Israhmawaty Saripi, the head of the Botumoito Health Center.

During the main session, participants received educational materials on how to properly acquire and use medicines through a clearly structured lecture. The program continued with a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) led by five facilitators, consisting of students from the School of Pharmacy ITB, Nursing Diploma III students, and alumni of the Pharmacy Diploma III program at Poltekkes Gorontalo.

The FGD was divided into two sessions. In the first session, participants were introduced to the correct methods of storing and disposing of medicines using comic media. After reading the comics for about 15 minutes, the volunteers engaged in a discussion with the facilitators to deepen their understanding of the material. The second FGD session involved a flash card game designed to test the participants' comprehension of all the material presented.

This education did not stop with the health volunteers. One of the key aspects of this program was the follow-up campaign aimed at educating the surrounding community, especially their families or neighbors. The volunteers were equipped with the prepared materials and media to conduct this campaign. The success of the campaign will be evaluated through pre- and post-tests administered to the local community.

At the end of the event, Israhmawaty expressed her appreciation and gratitude to the team from the School of Pharmacy ITB and Poltekkes Gorontalo. "I am pleased and grateful to the parties involved, especially the School of Pharmacy at Bandung Institute of Technology, which has collaborated with Poltekkes Gorontalo in providing education to the health volunteers at the Botumoito Health Center," she said.

As a form of recognition, Israhmawaty also awarded the most active volunteer during the presentation and FGD sessions, based on the committee's assessment. She hopes that this program will continue to be developed and that the competencies of the health volunteers will be further enhanced through continuous training and guidance

 

Related News:

1. gopos.id: Menjangkau Daerah 3T: Pengabdian Masyarakat ITB dan Poltekkes Gorontalo dalam Edukasi Obat Rasional di Boalemo

2. farmasi.poltekkesgorontalo.ac.id: Kolaborasi ITB dan Poltekkes Gorontalo: Mewujudkan Kesehatan Berbasis Penggunaan Obat Rasional di Pelosok Boalemo

3. sulut.inews.id: ITB Kolaborasi dengan Poltekkes Gorontalo, Edukasi Penggunaan Obat di Boalemo

4. fa.itb.ac.id: Mengubah Wajah Kesehatan di Daerah 3T: Upaya Sekolah Farmasi ITB dan Poltekkes Gorontalo dalam Penggunaan Obat Rasional

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