Depok, 29 December 2025 — The Faculty of Public Health (FPH), Universitas Indonesia (UI), continues to strengthen its contribution to the development of national health policies and systems through an open doctoral promotion examination for Zulkarnain Abubakar in Public Health Sciences. During the examination, the promovendus successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Value-Based Healthcare in Cataract Services Using Phacoemulsification Procedures for National Health Insurance Patients: A Case Study of Two Eye Hospitals in Indonesia.”
This dissertation was motivated by the high burden of cataracts as the leading cause of visual impairment and preventable blindness, as well as the growing demand for cataract services in the era of the National Health Insurance (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional/JKN). Amid constraints in health financing, the Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) approach is increasingly important to ensure that health services focus not only on service volume but also on value—namely, achieving optimal health outcomes with efficient costs. Through this study, the promovendus highlights the need for comprehensive value measurement in cataract services using phacoemulsification procedures, which currently represent the gold standard in cataract management.
The study employed a retrospective cohort design involving 184 JKN patients treated at two eye hospitals in Indonesia. Analyses were conducted on postoperative clinical outcomes, patients’ quality of life, and service costs using the Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) approach. The results demonstrated that both hospitals achieved excellent clinical outcomes, with postoperative visual acuity of ≥6/18 in more than 93 percent of patients, as well as high quality-of-life scores exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The study also identified a significant negative correlation between health outcomes and costs, indicating that better clinical outcomes were associated with greater cost efficiency. Furthermore, more consistent implementation of Integrated Care Pathways (ICP) was shown to contribute to improved efficiency and effectiveness of cataract services.
The findings of this dissertation provide an important contribution to the development of eye health service policies in Indonesia, particularly in the formulation of value-based payment packages within the JKN system.
The open examination was chaired by Prof. Dr. Indri Hapsari Susilowati, S.K.M., M.K.K.K., Ph.D., with an examination committee comprising Prof. dr. Purnawan Junadi, M.P.H., Ph.D.; Prof. Dr. drg. Mardiati Nadjib, M.S.; Prof. dr. Budu, Ph.D., Sp.M(K); Prof. Asnawi Abdullah, S.K.M., MHSM., M.Sc., Ph.D.; and Dr. dr. Mahlil Ruby, M.Kes. The supervisor was Prof. dr. Amal Chalik Sjaaf, S.K.M., Dr.PH, and the co-supervisor was Prof. dr. Tjahjono Darminto Gondhowiardjo, Sp.M(K), Ph.D.
Based on the successful defense of his dissertation, Zulkarnain Abubakar was awarded the degree of Doctor of Public Health Sciences. He is the 32nd doctoral graduate of FPH UI in 2025, the 371st doctoral graduate of the Public Health Sciences Program, and the 487th doctoral graduate of FPH UI overall.
Through this doctoral promotion, FPH UI once again affirms its role as a center of excellence in public health scholarship, capable of addressing health system challenges through evidence-based research and innovative approaches. This achievement further strengthens FPH UI’s commitment to supporting the transformation of the national health system toward services that are higher in quality, more efficient, and more patient-centered. (wrk)