Pusat Bioetik dan Humaniora Kesehatan
The Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities (CBMH) history was started in 1997 as Bioethics and Medical Humanities Team led by Prof. dr. Yati Soenarto, Sp.A(K), Ph.D. The team was aiming to improve moral, ethical, and behavioral aspect of medical students. The initial strategy was involving interdisciplinary experts, i.e. medicine, philosophy, psychology, social-humanities, civic, law, religion, which soon transformed into what the center is currently promoting, a trans-disciplinary approach.
In its further development, the center has eveloved into an innovative and productive center with main vision “to improve bioethics and medical humanities education, research, and service in order to create highly qualified moral and humane practitioners”. The center aspire to achieve through its missions in the following area:
• Education (integrating bioethics and medical humanities into curriculum)
• Research (establish local, regional, and international research on related issues)
• Service (training and educating professionals and community in related issues)
Contrary to its humble and modest profile, the center’s achievements were not to be undermined. The contributions made in Bioethics development were not limited to only local, but have spanned up to global levels. CBMH has been acknowledged nationally as one of the pioneers, trendsetting institution, and baromoter for bioethics development in Indonesia. The center has been given the honor to serve as permanent secretariat for the national network on Bioethics and Medical Humanities (JBHKI). On regular basis, Certified bioethics training for health professionals have been conducted and joined by participants from around the country. With a rather distinct approach to Bioethics, the aspects of HELP have been promoted as a strategy unique to CBMH. It emphasizes on cultivating Humanities as the basic starting point for Ethical skills, whilst balancing with proper understanding of Legal aspects, and Professionalism for framework.
Aspiring for global participation, the center has made significant numbers of contributions on bioethics developmnet, through various approaches in the form of hosting international conferences, trainings, collaborative projects and research. These efforts are not just meant as contribution, but also at the same time encourage and empower Asia-Pacific Innitiatives in enriching bioethics developement in this global society. In line with that spirit, another honor and responsibility has been placed on our shoulder when the center was appointed as the leading coordinator for the International Consortium on Bioethics and Humanities, which houses the Asia-Pacific (Trans-nations) bioethics collaboration (initiator countries are Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia)
Those achievements mentioned above were not the main goals nor finish line. In fact those propel further our motivation and spirits to keep going, as the journey is far from ending. The new chapter has just beginning which focused on the following several main concerns. The first is bioethics capacity building for health professionals, through formal education (graduates and postgraduates) and continuing professional development and training (certified courses, etc). Secondly to infuse and cultivate ethical values into every science and technology development, including but not limited to health area. Last but most importantly is contributing for nations’s welfare thorugh building and investing transcultural and transdisciplinary attitudes, so that every stakeholder/policymakers in this country would have the skills to do science diplomacy, for the sake of defending nation’s interest, assets and resources.