SURAKARTA – Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta (UMS) officially inaugurated 145 students in the 9th Batch of the 2024/2025 Academic Year Physiotherapist Professional Oath. Attended by the graduates’ families from various regions, this sacred ceremony was held at the KH. Ahmad Dahlan Edutorium Building on Tuesday (12/23).
The Head of the Physiotherapist Professional Program, Suryo Saputra Perdana, S.Fis., M.Sc., PT., reported that based on the Rector of UMS’s decree No. 433/II/2025, the students taking the professional oath have completed a total of 37 credits with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) with satisfactory results.
“All of which are required to have undergone clinical practice, whether in hospitals, specialized physiotherapy clinics, or the community,” he explained.
In his report, Suryo advised the graduates to be able to provide benefits to the community as an implementation of the knowledge they have gained during their studies.
“We also pray that the graduates of the Physiotherapy Professional Education Program will soon be able to dedicate their knowledge according to their respective expertise,” he said.
In addition, the Rector of UMS, Prof. Dr. Harun Joko Prayitno, M.Hum., also attended this ceremony. In his speech, he expressed his appreciation and also equipped the graduates with the principles of PT IMAM, namely, professionalism by applying transcendence, the practice of knowledge, and the importance of maintaining relationships among people.
“Education, in essence, is to humanize humans and to honor life. But that is not enough because the essence of knowledge and profession is transcendence, which is solely to seek the longing of Allah Almighty,” said the UMS Rector.
To support students’ academic learning, UMS currently has 82 study programs, 29 of which are master’s and doctoral programs. The Rector revealed that currently the university is waiting for permission to open PhD programs in Health Sciences, Medicine, Engineering, and Informatics.
In line with the vision and mission of Physiotherapy to produce professional graduates based on Islamic values through quality education, UMS supports the practice of health students by having two hospitals, namely RSGM Soelastri UMS and UMS A.R. Fachrudin Hospital.
On this emotional occasion, Harmi, AMF, representing the parents of the oath participants, expressed deep gratitude to the entire UMS academic community for their support in the success of the physiotherapy graduates.
Quoting the Minister of Health Regulation Number 19 of 2024 concerning the provision of services at Community Health Centers (Puskesmas), Harmi stated that physiotherapists have now become one of the 11 health professionals who play a vital role in sustaining life.
“According to the Ministry of Human Resources, there are around 10,480 community health centers across Indonesia, and only about 800 of them already have physiotherapists. When calculated with the Ministry of Human Resources, it is said that we need around 25,000,” he conveyed a message of optimism about the career prospects of physiotherapists.
In line with Harmi regarding the role of physiotherapists, Mohammad Rendy Herdiansyah, Ftr., representing the Chairman of the Indonesian Physiotherapy Association, emphasized the strategic role of physiotherapy practitioners in the era of healthcare service transformation.
“The system demands services that are closer to the community, more preventive, and more function-oriented. The presence of physiotherapists at community health centers and primary care services is not a choice, but a necessity,” he affirmed.
The greeting from the IFI representative concluded with the hope that UMS graduates will become physiotherapists who uphold the oath they have taken and continue to maintain professional ethics. (Roselia/UMS Public Relations)