The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) at the Universitas Indonesia (UI) held an open doctoral promotion session for candidate Ester Indahyani Jusuf on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. Ester successfully presented and defended her dissertation before the examining professors. The session, chaired by Prof. dr. Purnawan Junadi, MPH, PhD, was held in the Doctoral Promotion Room, Building G of FPH UI. The session was also attended by Dr. drs. Tris Eryando, MA, as the Promoter, and Prof. Dr. dra. Dumilah Ayuningtyas, MARS, and Tiurma M. Pitta Allagan, S.H., M.H., Ph.D., as Co-promoters.
The dissertation titled “The Role of the State in the Implementation of the Right to Health in Drinking Water Services” was written with the aim of mapping the role of the State in the implementation of the Minimum Service Standards (MSS) for drinking water at the district and city levels in Lampung Province. The selected regions for the study were Bandar Lampung City, Pesisir Barat Regency, and West Lampung Regency.
The quality and adequacy of drinking water is one of the most significant factors determining human health or illness, including maternal and infant mortality rates. Adequate and quality drinking water is a prerequisite for the prevention, treatment, or recovery from diseases such as tuberculosis, diarrhea, HIV/AIDS, pneumonia, and others. The protection and implementation of MSS for drinking water involves many parties, including the government. The government’s direct role as the Executive is to ensure the quality of drinking water in accordance with the Minister of Health Regulation No. 492/Menkes/PER/IV/2010 and the quantity as stipulated by the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Regulation No. 29/PRT/M/2018. However, according to the presentation by the candidate, the implementation of MSS for drinking water is still low, and there are no specific parameters or institutions dedicated to ensuring the sustainability of drinking water services.
Based on her research findings, Ester revealed that there is still a gap between the constitutional human rights fulfillment concept and its implementation through consultations such as the Village Development Planning Consultation (Musrenbang Desa), Sub-district Development Planning Consultation (Musrenbang Kecamatan), and the regional leaders and local legislature (DPRD). Furthermore, the level of MSS fulfillment for drinking water in the city/regency from 2019 to 2022 remains low, with 61.5% of the population not receiving their rights to health in drinking water. In response to the issues in Bandar Lampung City, Pesisir Barat Regency, and West Lampung Regency, the candidate suggested that relevant agencies evaluate the effectiveness of regulations and policies regarding the role of the state in providing MSS for drinking water. A forum between the central and local governments should also be held to find solutions to local problems without disrupting the functioning of the regional budget (APBD).
Following discussions among the session chair, promoter, co-promoters, and the examination team, which included Prof. dr. Anhari Achadi, SKM, ScD.; Prof. Dr. Bambang Shergi Laksmono MSc.; Dr. Hayyan Ul Haq, S.H., LLM.; and Dr. Ir. Harry Hikmat, M.Si, it was decided that Ester Indahyani Jusuf passed and was awarded the title of Doctor in Public Health. Dr. Ester, an intellectual woman born in Malang in 1971, took six years to complete her doctoral journey. However, her parents, family, guiding professors, and colleagues consistently supported her throughout her doctoral education at the Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia. She achieved the title with an impressive GPA of 3.65. (DFD)