Denpasar, 25 August 2026 — The Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) Indonesia under the MOH coordination has deployed students from seven FETP partner universities across the country to support the public health response following the recent earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

As part of this national response, FETP Udayana is deploying two students, Dian Andryani and Dian Pradnya, to Sikka District. They are scheduled to depart on 26 August 2026 and will work alongside local health authorities and other response partners in the affected areas.

Background and Post-Disaster Health Priorities

The deployment follows the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, on 15 August 2026. The earthquake and subsequent aftershocks affected several districts across the region, including Sikka, creating substantial humanitarian and public health needs.

During their deployment, the students will support surveillance and monitoring of priority diseases, particularly those with outbreak potential in post-disaster settings, such as measles. They will also contribute to broader assessments of health conditions among displaced and affected populations, including identifying emerging health problems and supporting timely reporting to local health authorities.

National Coordination and Operational Framework

The FETP response is being implemented in stages. The first team, from FETP Universitas Indonesia, was deployed on 23 August. On 24 August, a coordination meeting was held online involving representatives from affected areas, FETP field mentors, academic coordinators from FETP universities, the Ministry of Health, HSP, and CDC.

The meeting established a common operational framework for the deployment, including students' roles and responsibilities, field assignments, reporting mechanisms, coordination with local stakeholders, and arrangements for mentoring and technical support throughout the response.

Translating Epidemiological Training into Practice

For FETP students, deployment in a real emergency setting provides an important opportunity to translate classroom and field epidemiology training into practice. Students are expected not only to collect and analyse epidemiological information, but also to interpret rapidly changing health situations, identify public health priorities, communicate findings, and contribute to evidence-based response decisions.

The deployment also reflects the central role of field mentorship in FETP. Mentors provide technical guidance and supervision while helping students develop the professional judgement required to work effectively in complex emergency situations.

Strengthening Academic and Institutional Collaboration

For universities, participation in the response demonstrates how academic institutions can contribute directly to public health practice beyond teaching and research. Through the FETP network, universities can mobilise trained human resources and technical expertise to support local and national health authorities when additional epidemiological capacity is urgently needed.

At the national level, the deployment represents continued collaboration between the Ministry of Health, FETP Indonesia, participating universities, field mentors, and partner organisations in strengthening Indonesia's public health emergency response capacity.

Through this deployment, FETP Udayana reaffirms its commitment to preparing field epidemiologists who are not only academically competent, but also able to respond effectively when epidemiological evidence is most urgently needed to protect communities.