Why did you choose your proposed course and institution?
The reason why I choose the Public Health course is that it provides knowledge on the problem I deeply care about. I have an interest in this field since college and was boosted when I experienced real health problems as I worked as a general practitioner and a research assistant.
In Indonesia, the health of women still become a big issue that needs attention. The maternal mortality ratio in 2015 was 305 per 100,000 live births, which means one pregnant woman dies every minute. This number often goes unnoticed even though it is more than the number of airplane crash victims in a year.
I've been worked in a small district in Maluku, where health is something luxurious. I met a lot of patients with low health status due to inadequate health literacy, poverty, and poor health system. During working on my final project about the factors associated with neonatal death in that district, I encountered a woman whose child died after birth and had a hemorrhage. Instead of seeking medical help, she sought help from the traditional birth attendant. The reason was due to difficulty accessing health facilities and financial problems. This case is only one of the deaths and morbidities that have occurred due to complex problems.
I choose Public Health at The University of Melbourne as the first choice and Public Health at The University of Sydney as the second choice. Both of the universities offer a curriculum that suits what I aimed to learn more. The cities are also well-known as multicultural cities where students come from all over the world. This will strengthen my colleague network as it is very essential for public health professionals. The special point of The University of Melbourne is because they are the pioneer of adolescent health centers in the world and has an elective program where I can get exposure to real health problems. But I believe both universities can fulfill my interest in studying public health.
