Another milestone was achieved by the delegation of the Faculty of Nursing (FKep), Hasanuddin University (UNHAS), by successfully completing the Sakura Science Plan Exchange Program 2025 at Yokohama City University (YCU), Japan, from 13 to 19 January 2025. The program is one of several collaborations between the FKep, UNHAS, and the Department of Nursing, YCU This was the second time it has been held offline.
There were 7 students selected through internal selection, consisting of 1 Master of Nursing student, 1 Professional Nurse student, 3 Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, and 2 Bachelor of Physiotherapy students. They were accompanied by a physiotherapy lecturer. The theme of the program this year was “Mental Health Support for Disaster Areas using Information and Communication Technology (ICT)”, allowing the sharing of knowledge and experience in disaster relief between Indonesia and Japan.
The program was officially opened by the Dean Prof. Tomoko Akase and other faculty members on 14 January 2025 at the Department of Nursing building, Fuukura Campus, YCU. Following that, several faculty members who accompanied the delegation throughout the program were introduced: Prof. Noriko Yamada, Prof. Nao Tamai, Asst. Prof. Yayoi Shoji, Asst. Prof. Tomoya Kato, Yuriko Tanabe, Nozomi Fujisawa, Eriko Hayashi, Misuzu Sato, and Emi Shimomura.
The program continued with lectures from Asst. Prof. Yayoi Shoji and Prof. Noriko Yamada. The session on that day concluded with lectures, attended by both UNHAS and YCU students, given by 2 keynote speakers: Lena Akai, Ph.D., a psychologist and health coach; and the Dean of the FKep, UNHAS, Prof. Dr. Ariyanti Saleh, S.Kp., M.Si. Both spoke about the role of healthcare professionals in disaster situations, focusing on mental health issues in Japan and Indonesia, respectively.
The delegates, accompanied by YCU lecturers, had the opportunity to visit YCU Medical Centre on 15 January 2025, particularly the Emergency Intensive Care Unit and Disaster Medical Assistance Team room. After that, they went to Minami Ward and Naka District for a field survey to experience disaster preparedness and management in Yokohama. The next day included group work between UNHAS students and YCU students. After a class break, they continued to present their group work on several topics covering the situation in both countries, such as types of disasters, disaster preparedness, disaster management, healthcare professional teams in disaster relief, and mental health problems due to disasters. The session concluded with a farewell party. YCU students held a mini quiz about Japan and Indonesia and an origami-making simulation. UNHAS delegates performed the Mappadendang Dance, a traditional dance from South Sulawesi.
A visit to the Honjo Life Safety Learning Center was conducted on the last day. The delegates were accompanied by YCU lecturers and one student volunteer. They experienced disaster preparedness through four simulations: small-scale firefighting, basic life support, life protection during an earthquake, and evacuation of a smoke-filled room. That program was followed by an excursion to Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan.
The exchange of experiences in dealing with mental health disorders in disaster areas in both countries was essential and meaningful for learning from each other. Students from both UNHAS and YCU performed excellently in this program. Noriko Yamada expressed his gratitude and satisfaction with the performances of the students from both universities and looks forward to the next visit of a delegation from UNHAS to Japan, especially to YCU.