International research consortium on elderly healthcare in East Kalimantan
Dr Santy Kouwagam has successfully formed an interdisciplinary international consortium to address critical healthcare gaps for older adults in indigenous Dayak communities. The project, titled ‘Harmonizing Local Knowledge for Sustainable Elderly Healthcare in Indigenous Dayak Communities, East Kalimantan’, was recently awarded an LDE Global Support grant (INUCoST).
This initiative brings together legal, social science, medical experts, and environmental health experts. The consortium partners with the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (Dr Annemarie Samuels), the LUMC (Professor Jacobijn Gussekloo), and leading Indonesian institutions, including Universitas Mulawarman (led by Professor Swandari Paramita), Universitas Indonesia (Dr Imam Ardhianto & Dr Irwan Hidayana), and Universitas Airlangga (Dr Ratna Dwi Puji Astuti).
Socio-legal perspective on healthcare governance
Within the project, Dr Kouwagam will contribute a socio-legal perspective focusing on structural and environmental aspects of healthcare governance. The research explores how formal healthcare policies relate to local practices and care systems within Dayak communities.
One aim of the collaboration is to develop insights that may help inform discussions on improving services such as Posyandu Lansia (elderly healthcare centres) and to identify potential gaps in healthcare provision and regulation. The consortium is also engaging with the East Kalimantan Health Department (Dinas Kesehatan) to ensure the research remains connected to local policy contexts.
Collaboration and knowledge exchange
The project seeks to contribute to ongoing discussions about elderly healthcare in Indonesia. The collaboration will also support academic exchange between partner institutions, including joint publications and workshops connected to the LUMC master’s programme Health, Ageing and Society.