Working for Humanity

Working as a doctor requires care and empathy for fellow humans without discrimination. His performance earned him the Dedicated Intellectual Award 2021 from the daily Kompas.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Samsuridjal Djauzi

Being a doctor means working for humanity. A doctor devoid of a sense of humanity cannot be a good physician. This principle is firmly adhered to by Samsuridjal Djauzi, a professor of internal medicine at the Medical Faculty of the University of Indonesia (FKUI). The idea was implanted in the minds of new FKUI students through a public lecture themed “Qualifying as a Professional Doctor with Noble Character and a Love of the Motherland”.

Working as a doctor requires care and empathy for fellow humans without discrimination. Apart from being professional, every doctor should be prepared to help patients without discriminating against certain people or their diseases.

This was shown by Samsuridjal when HIV/AIDS first broke out. Amid the still slim knowledge of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome, health workers’ hesitation and public fear of being infected, he was one of the few doctors ready to treat HIV/AIDS patients. His performance earned him the Dedicated Intellectual Award 2021 from the daily Kompas.

Also read:

> Bold and Initiating Collaboration

> Sisca Wiguno, Resilience of a Doctor

In the middle of 1995, Samsuridjal had a dissenting opinion and was not allowed to treat patients in a private hospital where he practiced due to his principles. His firm stance was defended by the professional organization, the Indonesian Medical Association.

Through an AIDS Special Study Group (Pokdisus) officially set up in March 1986, Samsuridjal and Zubairi Djoerban, an FKUI professor of internal medicine who underwent HIV/AIDS training in France from 1982 to 1983, and several other doctors began studying AIDS.

Pokdisus started providing services for people with HIV/AIDS under the Diagnosis and Therapy Access Program in November 1999. Through negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, a discount was obtained on HIV testing and antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.

As most patients still could not afford testing and treatment, Pokdisus advocated for the cause in meetings with various parties, including the government. In 2004, in an effort to control HIV/AIDS, the government decided to arrange a patent to produce ARV drugs at home with a royalty payment to the patent owner. By 2005, ARV could be accessed for free.

“At present, 90 percent of the cost of ARV drugs comes from the state budget,” said Samsuridjal. The therapy is accessed by around 130,000 people with HIV/AIDS through different health service centers. Some 10,000 of the total access it through Pokdisus.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Samsuridjal Djauzi

The Pokdisus team, now supported by many medical specialists, not only provides ARV treatment, opportunistic infection and sexually transmitted infection therapy. Samsuridjal, Zubairi and the Pokdisus team also produce many case studies published in various national and international scientific journals. Both professors are also involved in joint international research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the U.S. and presented at international conferences.

Empowerment

For public education on HIV/AIDS and in support of people with the condition, in 1989, along with Zubairi and Sri Wahyuningsih, Samsuridjal founded Yayasan Pelita Ilmu (YPI). This foundation is engaged in providing information for teenagers, offering HIV counseling and testing, preventing HIV/AIDS infection among intravenous drug users, preventing infants from being infected by their mothers and giving support to people with the HIV/AIDS.

“The YPI currently offers guidance to people with HIV/AIDS whose businesses have been ruined by the pandemic in order to secure capital grants from the government,” said Samsuridjal.

Communities are also developing for the empowerment of people with HIV/AIDS.

What is heartening, according to Samsuridjal, is that many health workers are now willing to get involved in HIV/AIDS service. In big cities the stigma attached to people living with HIV/AIDS has decreased. Communities are also developing for the empowerment of people with HIV/AIDS.

The YPI’s other activity is Pelita Desa (Village Light), which has, since 2002, empowered village youth. Occupying a plot in Ciseeng village, Parung, Bogor regency, Pelita Desa is a place for skill and entrepreneurship training for young people, fish breeding, cattle raising, estate crop planting, as well as camping and outings for students and the public. The funds derived from the facilities are used to finance YPI’s operations and broaden the village youths’ horizons by taking them to neighboring countries for comparative studies.

Also read:

> Yeni Dewi Mulyaningsih, Companion to Children with Cancer

> Devotion of a Doctor

During the pandemic, the outings have been halted. As a substitute, young people are exporting fish and ornamental plants to several countries. They promote the products on the internet, serving consumers’ small-scale direct purchases, with the assistance of alumni of IPB University in meeting quarantine and delivery package requirements.

Now as a YPI and Pelita Desa advisor, Samsuridjal gives inspiration and boosts the spirits of young people in the village through the Belajar Bareng Prof Samsu (Learning with Professor Samsu) program uploaded on Youtube.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Samsuridjal Djauzi

At the age of 76, Samsuridjal remains an active master’s and doctorate program instructor and examines doctorate candidates at the FKUI and the medical faculties of other universities. He also practices at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) and Dharmais Hospital while writing for the Health Consultation column of Kompas since November 1993.

His other post is chairman of the task force for adult immunization of the Indonesian Internists Association (Papdi). The task force, formed in 2003, has trained about 3,000 general practitioners to provide vaccination services in their places of practice. “Besides children, vaccination is important for adults. As an illustration, the mortality among aged people due to pneumonia in RSCM has reached 20 percent. It can actually be prevented with the pneumococcus vaccine,” said Samsuridjal.

Becoming a doctor was not what he originally intended. “I passed the chemical engineering entrance test at the Bandung Institute of Technology. But to avoid lodging and relieve my parents’ cost burden, I took the entrance test at FKUI,” he recalled.

Also read:

> Supporting Health Through Science

After graduating as a doctor in 1969, he studied internal medicine. Finishing the specialist education in 1976, Samsuridjal was assigned to East Kalimantan. Although based in Wahab Syahrani Hospital, Samarinda, he toured regency hospitals because he was the only internist in the region.

To new students, Samsuridjal emphasizes the need to seize every opportunity to work in regions. It serves as a means of achieving maturity, of learning, of socializing and of understanding other ethnic groups’ cultures, as well as becoming an agent of national unification.

KOMPAS/FAJAR RAMADHAN

Samsuridjal Djauzi.

The spirit of serving humanity is deeply rooted in the family. His children, Irfan Wahyudi and Hilma Paramita, too, are medical specialists. So are his daughter- and son-in-law. Three of his five grandchildren have chosen to study at the medical faculty. The first grandchild has graduated from FKUI and has registered for a regional internship.

Prof Dr Samsuridjal Djauzi SpPD-KAI, FACP

Born: Bukit Tinggi, May 3, 1945

Wife: Siti Chamisa

Children: Two

Education:

- Medical Faculty, University of Indonesia/FKUI (1969)

- Internist, FKUI (1976)

- Consultant of Allergy-Immunology (1986)

- Doctor of Allergy-Immunology, FKUI (1999)

Occupation:

- Professor of Internal Medicine, FKUI

- President Director, Dharmais Cancer Hospital (2000-2005)

Professional activity:

- Chairman, Indonesian Internists Association/PAPDI (2000-2003)

- Chairman, Indonesian Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (2018-present)

- Member, Central Board Consultative Council, Indonesian Medical Association (IDI)

- Honorary Fellow of American College of Physicians (2001)

- Chairman, Task Force of Adult Immunization of PAPDI (2003-present)

Awards:

- Adi Satya Utama Award, IDI (1996)

- Sudjono Djuned Pusponegoro Award, IDI, as the best working paper writer (2003) with Dr. Asnath M, SpPD

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira).