The Department of Social Welfare, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FISIP UI), officially welcomed a new expert after graduating I Made Indra as a Doctor of Social Welfare on Friday (3/7). In the doctoral defense held at the Juwono Sudarsono Auditorium, Depok, he successfully defended his dissertation highlighting the evolution of Puskesmas as a Human Service Organization (HSO) post-COVID-19 pandemic.
This research focuses on Pulogadung Puskesmas, a health facility in a densely populated urban area with high disease complexity. Through a qualitative approach and in-depth interviews, I Made Indra mapped out how Puskesmas transformed from a mere medical service provider into an organization prioritizing human values in facing the transition of the disease spectrum.
The results of his study formulate four crucial evolutionary phases in primary healthcare: variation, selection, retention, as well as adaptation and transformation. According to these findings, the success of Puskesmas does not rely solely on technological sophistication or government regulations, but on the ability of healthcare workers to practice moral work and build collaborative relationships with the community.
I Made Indra emphasized that community involvement has now shifted from merely being objects of intervention to strategic partners. By integrating a strong client-worker relations concept, Puskesmas has proven capable of becoming a more adaptive frontline in managing public health dynamics, for both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
The evolution model proposed in this dissertation is expected to serve as a valuable reference for policymakers. The hope is that the primary healthcare system in Indonesia in the future can be more inclusive and sustainable by placing individuals, families, and communities as the main axis of national health development.
