Astuti Pitarini
One of the difficulties faced by young orthopaedics in Indonesia is financial support to undergo a higher training after finishing our residency program as orthopaedic surgeons. To finance myself for taking part in an advanced training abroad is likewise problematic for me as for the majority of us.
I live in a developing country where there are not many opportunities for me to have a structured fellowship program and, what is most important, to receive a fair compensation during the training process. Our medical education system in Indonesia is far from perfect. We, who are willing to join the residency program, instead of being paid, have to pay a striking high amount of “training fee”. Subsequently, it becomes really difficult for us after we finish the residency program to engage in higher training, fellowship, or even to attend short courses abroad.
More people in Indonesia need to realize that we are also part of the international community despite all the challenges we have right now as a nation. We are exposed to global change and one way to take part is by having a positive manner toward it. Optimism is worth for every breath we take. History had told that Indonesia was the Dutch colony since the 19th century. On the other hand, we have to understand as well that the new and millennial bilateral networking between Indonesia and the Netherlands is beneficial for both sides.
I was very lucky to receive a grant during my training here in the Netherlands. The grant was provided by the Marinus Plantema Foundation as an educational support for the bilateral networking project between Indonesia and Netherlands. By coming here and finishing my fellowship in the Netherlands I hope I can motivate young doctors in Indonesia, that experiencing training abroad is feasible and possible. I believe there will be an exciting journey for other young Indonesian orthopaedic surgeons in the future as new opportunities will be more accessible for them.
