UNAIR NEWS ” Prof. Dr. Hari Basuki Notobroto, dr., M.Kes., has been formally inaugurated as a professor at (UNAIR). The ceremony was held at the Garuda Mukti Hall, located at the UNAIR Management Office on the MERR-C Campus, Thursday (April 24, 2025). In his inaugural speech, Prof. Notobroto focused on the need to optimize routine statistical data as a foundation for developing strategies to prevent public health problems.
Health challenges facing Indonesia
Prof. Notobroto emphasized that, despite Indonesia™s continued progress across various development indicators, the health sector remains fraught with significant challenges.
“We are undergoing an epidemiological transition where, on one hand, infectious diseases persist, and on the other, chronic degenerative diseases are increasingly prevalent,” he explained.
Addressing these dual challenges, he stressed, requires strategies grounded in sound decision-making and precise planning. Such strategies depend heavily on a strong health information system, which must serve two key roles: etiological investigation and program evaluation. Routine data, he said, forms a critical pillar in healthcare planning and service management, supporting effective decision-making and program development.
“Processing routine data produces vital statistics that, when optimally utilized, can significantly strengthen healthcare management. These statistics not only illustrate the current state of public health issues but also help identify emerging problems, laying the groundwork for proactive health initiatives,” he said.
Barriers to utilizing routine statistics
However, Prof. Notobroto pointed out that routine statistics remain underutilized, particularly in the planning of promotive and preventive health programs. He noted that data management practices still focus largely on collection and storage, while data analysis and application remain limited. “Research shows that only between 10 to 65 percent of health workers effectively use routine statistics in their work,” he added.
This underuse, he argued, stems from challenges in data quality, management practices, and data application”all of which are tied to gaps in the health information workforce, particularly in statistical analysis and interpretation skills.
Beyond human resource issues, he highlighted another challenge: the prevalent use of aggregated data. “Aggregate data limits the ability to analyze and identify the causes and risk factors behind health problems. Strong analytical skills are needed to pinpoint causal factors, risk factors, and confounding variables related to health issues,” he explained.
To address these gaps, Prof. Notobroto called for a renewed effort to maximize the use of routine statistics in public health prevention strategies. Key initiatives, he suggested, include strengthening health information systems, adopting advanced data processing technologies, enhancing workforce capacity, and fostering partnerships with academic institutions.
Author: Febriana Putri Nur Aziizah
Editor : Edwin Fatahuddin
