The Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (SPs UGM) held the opening ceremony for its 41st Dies Natalis on Friday morning, July 26th, 2024, at the West Parking Area of the SPs UGM Building. Present at the event were the SPs UGM leadership team, the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry UGM, the Chairman of KORPAGAMA UGM, lecturers, and educational staff of SPs UGM, along with invited guests. This year’s Dies Natalis opening had a unique feature—educational staff from SPs UGM conducted health checkups for participants and guests.
A total of eight educational staff members from SPs UGM served as health checkup officers for the 41st Dies Natalis opening. The eight staff members were Joko Waluyo, Amy Prastowo, Diro Yuniarto, Muhammad Ulyn Nuha, Diana, Indri Astuti, Fahmi Mumtazah, and Lailatul Mubasiroh. Before performing their duties, they underwent training on proper health checkup procedures with GMC (Gadjah Mada Medical Center) UGM.
“There was no fear of having blood samples taken, even though the blood samples were collected by our colleagues instead of professional health workers. Since they had been trained beforehand, there was no anxiety. In fact, I think they conducted the checkups as smoothly as general medical professionals,” said Dr. Budiawan, one of the lecturers who participated in the health checkup.
The health checkups included measurements of body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, random blood glucose, total cholesterol, and uric acid levels. The educational staff conducted the entire procedure, from measurements and blood sample collection using a lancet pen to setting up strips on the Easy Touch GCU (Glucose, Cholesterol, Uric Acid) measurement tool, and recording the results. Participants were informed in advance to fast for about 8 hours the night before the checkup. During the checkup, participants were given a sheet of paper containing information about normal value ranges and the risks associated with each health parameter, and the results were recorded by the attending educational staff.
Nova Ekawati, an educational staff member from the Master’s Program in Cultural and Media Studies, said, “I had not eaten the night before and only drank water to prepare for today’s health checkup. The results of this health checkup will serve as a warning for myself to pay more attention to my health.” The educational staff at SPs UGM successfully demonstrated their skills in conducting health checkups during the 41st Dies Natalis opening.
Keywords: health, skills, SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 4: Quality Education, SDGs
Author: Asti Rahmaningrum