UNS– Students from the Faculty of Medicine (FK) at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta have once again made a mark by securing second place in the public poster category at the 2024 Health Competition of Midwifery Generation (HCG). The event was organized by the Politeknik Kesehatan of the Ministry of Health in Surabaya from October 3-5, 2024.
HCG is a national competition for midwifery students, open to participants from both state and private universities across Indonesia. The UNS team, composed of Rona Arrafi, Shufi Arofiqandil, and Anisa Yusri Ramadhani—fifth-semester students from the S-1 Midwifery Program—clinched the second-place victory.
Rona Arrafi, the team leader, explained that the 2024 HCG competition featured two sub-themes: “The Importance of Optimal Nutrition During the First 1.000 Days of Life” and “Anxiety in Pregnant Women and Its Impact on Fetal Development.”
“Our team chose the second sub-theme because it has received less attention compared to the first one. In addition, anxiety levels among pregnant women in Indonesia are relatively high, making it essential to provide educational materials to raise awareness about this issue,” Rona explained in an interview with fk.uns.ac.id on Wednesday (23/10/2024).
The public poster created by the three students covered a wide range of information, including the definition, prevalence, causes, and impacts of anxiety on the fetus. The poster also offered a solution to help manage anxiety in pregnant women through “Perfect Exercise,” with an accompanying QR code linked to demonstration videos of the recommended movements.
“This feature was one of the key strengths of our team that helped us secure second place,” Rona added. Their concept aligns with sustainable development goals, particularly those focused on achieving healthy and well-being outcomes through practical and easily implementable health solutions.
Despite their busy schedules with coursework, the students made time to prepare for the competition.
“We began preparing for the first round about a month in advance, starting at the end of August. For the final round, we had about a week to get ready,” Rona shared.
The team noted that participating in a national-level competition provided them with numerous benefits. Beyond gaining valuable experience in competing, they had the opportunity to exchange knowledge with students from other universities.
“We had a close competition with Universitas Brawijaya, whose midwifery program is also at the undergraduate level. We shared information about our studies and other academic matters,” Shufi Arofiqandil added.
They expressed hope that more students from FK UNS would be inspired to participate in national competitions and achieve success that would bring pride to their faculty.
“Don’t be afraid to try. It’s better to try and fail than not to try at all. We also just gave it a shot—we didn’t know we would make it to the finals in Surabaya. Just give it a try, and if you fail, try again,” Shufi concluded. Humas UNS
