On Thursday 24 November 2022, the faculty of pharmacy held an online public lecture focusing on research in drug utilization, particularly in the use of antibiotics in society. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Ria Benko, an expert in drug utilization research, especially for those used in Europe.
The program started with a welcoming speech from Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Marianti Manggau, Apt. as the dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy UNHAS. In her remarks, she conveyed her gratitude to the head of the university, the organizing committee and the speaker as well as the participants who attended this lecture as it is an essential aspect of knowledge dissemination among the students and staff of the faculty. The speech was then followed by the lecture opened by Prof.Dr. Eng. Adi Maulana, ST, M.Phil, as the Vice-Rector of Partnership, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Business. In his speech, he stated “Although I am not from the medicinal field, I know that our topic today is interesting because it is a relevant topic since emerging diseases are becoming our concerns nowadays”
The Vice-Rector also acknowledged the faculty of pharmacy for actively contributing to internationalization activities in UNHAS. Prof. Adi Maulana also addressed his gratitude to Dr. Benko for delivering his lecture for UNHAS and acknowledged that UNHAS is building a good relationship with Szeged University as one of the best universities in Europe. Followed by his speech, he officially opened the lectures and wished everyone had a joyful discussion.
In the lecture, Dr. Benko focuses on the scope of drug utilization and how it is measured so that a vast and reliable research outcome is expected to be obtained. Research in this field is also important because policy makers and many institutions who rely on evidence-based treatment take advantage of what our experts are concerned about. She also pointed out that antibiotic use is widely spread not only among humans but also in veterinary and thus creating an accumulated risk of antibiotic resistance in society.
As many as 142 participants attended the lecture including students, UNHAS lecturers and staff of the faculty of pharmacy. The lecture proceeded until the discussion session and lecture attendants seemed to engage in an interesting discussion with Dr. Benka about many aspects of antibiotic use in Indonesia when it is compared to Europe.