Article PhD candidate ERH chosen as Editor’s Choice Palliative Medicine
Physician and PhD candidate Bagas Wicaksono, working in the Ethics of Care section, recently published his findings from his doctoral study on home-based palliative care in rural Indonesia*.
His most recent publication, ‘Utilizing intricate care networks: An ethnography of patients and families navigating palliative care in a resource-limited setting’, in the journal Palliative Medicine was chosen as the Editor's Choice for January 2025!
Philosophy of community
In this article, Bagas and his research team (Jeannette Pols, Dick Willems and Amalia Muhaimin) describe how patients and families organize palliative care despite limited professional support. They use different care networks to access the care they need, relying on compassionate communities around them. The shared community philosophy of Gotong Royong (a social life institution in Indonesia that refers to mutual help and mutual cooperation) strengthens their resilience.
Commitment and support
Bagas et al. argue that local public health centres, in collaboration with community volunteers, can potentially lead in providing accessible palliative care by building on existing programmes. This requires commitment and support from national and regional governments as well as the surrounding academic and health institutions.
Presentations
Bagas gave a presentation on his findings at various occasions, such as the EAPC World Research Congress in Barcelona and the Indonesian Students Congress in the Netherlands. He calls it ‘heartwarming’ that he receives appreciation from fellow researchers and his presentation was nominated as one of the best at the Indonesian Students Congress.
Interesting discussion
In the closing session of this conference, Bagas moderated an interesting discussion on Indonesia’s demographic bonus, the country’s commitment to science and technology development, and the opportunities and challenges facing the newly elected president and his government. Using his skills gained from moderating ethical discussions, Bagas helped to stimulate an interesting session with Indonesian students in the Netherlands. These students gathered to reflect on Indonesia together with the speakers. Among the speakers were the Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr. Mayerfas, Ward Berenschot, Professor of Political Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam, and Syarif Riyadi, an Indonesian diaspora member working at ASML and founder of Energy Academy Indonesia | ECADIN.
* Bagas Wicaksono’s PhD project was fully funded by the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education Scholarship.
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