YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta is moving to establish a Faculty of Medicine as the country faces a deepening shortage of doctors and mounting pressure from a rapidly aging population, university officials said.

The Islamic state university held a two-day academic consolidation on Jan. 16–17 to align prospective faculty members, curriculum priorities and infrastructure ahead of a formal external assessment, part of a national drive to expand medical education capacity.

Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Istiningsih said preparations covering staffing, curriculum design and core facilities had been completed through phased institutional planning, positioning the university for the evaluation process.

Rector Noorhaidi Hasan linked the initiative to President Prabowo Subianto’s call to accelerate the establishment of medical faculties to address uneven access to health services, particularly outside major urban centers.

Demographic pressure is a central driver. In Yogyakarta, residents aged 60 and above account for about 16% of the population, compared with a national average of roughly 12%, government data show, increasing demand for long-term and preventive health care.

University officials said the proposed faculty would emphasize promotive and preventive medicine, with a focus on geriatric and musculoskeletal health. Clinical neurologist Yudiyanta and geriatric specialist Probosuseno outlined academic frameworks aimed at strengthening early intervention and elderly care.

The university also inspected lecture halls, offices and laboratories across core medical disciplines as part of its readiness review.

If approved, the faculty would expand UIN Sunan Kalijaga’s role in Indonesia’s health system, integrating medical training with ethical and social perspectives rooted in its Islamic academic tradition.