FMIPA UI Becomes a Reference for Sri Lanka in the Development of Medical Physics

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FMIPA UI), welcomed two Medical Physics lecturers from the Department of Nuclear Science, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka—Prof. Dr. Jeyasingam Jeyasugiththan and Dr. Duminda Malith Satharasingh. The visit took place over two weeks, from July 14 to 25, 2025, as part of a benchmarking program within an international project facilitated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The visit of the two academics was warmly welcomed by the Dean of FMIPA UI, Prof. Dede Djuhana, Ph.D., along with the faculty leadership. This visit is part of an IAEA project focused on radiation dose management in diagnostic radiology in Sri Lanka. Upon IAEA’s recommendation, FMIPA UI was selected as a reference institution, as it is considered a model for the development of Medical Physics and the medical physicist profession among peer universities.

“The Medical Physics education system we have developed is the result of a synergy between FMIPA UI, the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN), and the Indonesian medical physics community, based on international curriculum models. This visit serves as evidence of the importance of cross-country collaboration in improving the quality of global healthcare services,” said Prof. Dede in his opening remarks.

During the visit, the lecturers from Sri Lanka conducted benchmarking on various aspects of Medical Physics development, ranging from educational curricula and training programs to the professional roles of medical physicists. This is particularly crucial considering that Sri Lanka currently has only around 50 active medical physicists, significantly fewer than Indonesia, which has more than 900 active medical physicists.

“More than just academic and professional value, what truly inspires me is FMIPA UI’s commitment and hard work in advancing the medical physics profession in Indonesia,” said Dr. Duminda. He also added that the experience at FMIPA UI provided concrete guidance for strengthening a similar profession in his home country.

The series of visit activities included discussions on the medical physics curriculum, technical training, and a presentation by the Chair of the Indonesian Medical Physicists Alliance (AFISMI), Dr. Lukmanda Evan Lubis, M.Si., F.Med. The participants also visited the medical physics laboratory at the Department of Physics, FMIPA UI, and the Universitas Indonesia Hospital to discuss patient dose management. They were welcomed by the Director of Medical and Nursing Services, Prof. Dr. dr. Rakhmad Hidayat, Sp.N., Subsp. NIIOO(K)., MARS.

The series of visit activities included discussions on the medical physics curriculum, technical training, and a presentation by the Chair of the Indonesian Medical Physicists Alliance (AFISMI), Dr. Lukmanda Evan Lubis, M.Si., F.Med. The participants also visited the medical physics laboratory at the Department of Physics, FMIPA UI, and the Universitas Indonesia Hospital to discuss patient dose management. They were welcomed by the Director of Medical and Nursing Services, Prof. Dr. dr. Rakhmad Hidayat, Sp.N., Subsp. NIIOO(K)., MARS.

Through this activity, it is hoped that knowledge exchange will strengthen international collaboration in the field of medical physics and support the improvement of education quality and services in diagnostic and interventional radiology, radiotherapy, and nuclear medicine, particularly in Sri Lanka.