Hundreds of high school students from various schools in Medan took part in the “Health Explore” program, a collaboration between the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Perlis, Malaysia. The event was held at the UMSU Auditorium on Jalan Kapten Muchtar Basri No. 3, Medan, on Friday (January 9).
The program involved 29 students from UiTM Perlis and 20 students from UMSU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FKIK). It was officially opened by the Rector of UMSU, Prof. Dr. Agussani, MAP, represented by Vice Rector I, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Arifin, M.Hum. Also in attendance were Vice Dean III of FKIK UMSU Dr. dr. M. Edy Syahputra Nasution, M.Ked (ORL-HNS), Sp.THT-KL; Head of the Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, UiTM, Dr. Harris Kamal bin Kamaruddin; Program Coordinator Dr. Ahmad Dzulkarna’in bin Ismail; and lecturers from both UMSU and UiTM Perlis.
In his remarks, Prof. Muhammad Arifin stated that the collaboration was not a new initiative, but rather the implementation of an existing commitment between the two institutions.
“This is not something new with UiTM. UMSU and UiTM already have an agreement that must be realized and implemented, not merely documented. For now, the collaboration is focused on FKIK,” he said.
He also highlighted the recent development of UMSU’s Faculty of Medicine, which has been renamed the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FKIK) to address the evolving challenges of health education in Indonesia.
“We are currently in the process of opening specialist programs in pulmonology and surgery. We hope these plans will be realized so that our collaboration can be further strengthened,” he added.
According to Prof. Arifin, health education should begin at a young age, especially amid the growing consumption of fast food.
“Health must be maintained from an early age, particularly with the widespread consumption of fast food that can lead to various diseases. That is why activities like this are important to provide proper health information,” he explained.
He emphasized the importance of health education programs such as Health Explore and expressed hope that the collaboration would continue, including UiTM’s involvement in health-related activities during the 2027 Muhammadiyah Congress in North Sumatra.
Meanwhile, the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of UiTM Perlis, Associate Professor Dr. Ahmad Fikri bin Mohd Kassim, expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome from UMSU.
“We are grateful for the warm reception extended by UMSU,” he said.
He explained that UiTM’s participation aimed to implement the planned collaboration through the Service Learning Malaysia–University for Society (SULAM) program.
“Our presence here is to carry out the collaboration that has been carefully designed through the Service Learning Malaysia–University for Society (SULAM) program, an initiative implemented by universities in Malaysia and abroad,” he noted.
He added that UiTM is committed to ensuring that all students gain learning experiences based on community engagement.
“I hope this cooperation can be expanded through various programs. In the future, UMSU students and lecturers are welcome to visit UiTM and explore our industrial facilities,” he said.
Health Explore is an implementation of international collaboration between Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Perlis Branch, Arau Campus, aimed at increasing health awareness and understanding among students.
The program adopts an active learning approach that emphasizes hands-on practice. Through learning-by-doing methods—such as movement-based activities, simulations, and interactive games—participants not only receive theoretical knowledge but also experience health education in an engaging and interactive way.
Participating high school students came from MAN 1 Medan, MAN 2 Medan, MAN 3 Medan, MAN 4 Medan, SMK Tritech Informatika, SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Medan, SMA Al Ulum Terpadu, SMA Muhammadiyah 2 Medan, SMAN 3 Medan, SMKN 14 Medan, and SMKN 1 Percut.
