UNAIR NEWS – Eight medical students from Universitas Airlangga’s Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Natural Sciences (FIKKIA) in Banyuwangi contributed to the success of the 2025 Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen as part of the event’s dedicated medical team. They remained on standby throughout the race to provide medical support.
Collaboration with Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen medical team
FIKKIA medical student Daffa Febriean Rovalino described the opportunity to work with the Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen’s medical team as invaluable, even as a pre-clinical student. While they were not authorized to handle specialized cases, the students gained firsthand experience assisting the mini-hospital unit, the ambulance race team, and the doctor race team.
“We helped document and prepare medical reports, especially when riders were injured—whether treated at the mini-hospital, during the doctor race, or in the ambulance race,” Rovalino said.
The students also forwarded and reported medical data to local health authorities and relevant teams. The experience allowed them to apply their travel medicine coursework in a real-world context, underscoring the discipline’s direct relevance to public health. They also had opportunities to meet the Banyuwangi Regent and interact with both national and international cyclists.
“We were able to take photos and talk with riders from Indonesia and abroad about tips for enduring hundreds of kilometers on a bike,” Rovalino added.
By working on-site, the students could quickly assess potential risk factors and health issues during the race. This enabled them to recommend preventive measures and appropriate treatments for future events.
Rovalino and his fellow FIKKIA students expressed hopes to continue collaborating with the Banyuwangi Health Office on upcoming events, seeing such partnerships as valuable platforms for applying travel medicine in practice.
Author: Azhar Burhanuddin
Editor: Ragil Kukuh Imanto
