Hello, doc! Could you please introduce yourself first?
Hi everyone! My name is Rizqi Ahmad, alumni of FK UNS. I had been an active member of CIMSA since 2011, and I got the opportunity to be LOCO CIMSA UNS 2012/2013.

Could you tell us more about your current activity?
Currently I’m working at PKU Muhammadiyah Temanggung and Puskesmas Wadaslintang 2 in Wonosobo. I’m happily married now, my wife had been also an active member of CIMSA and was actually appointed as VLI CIMSA UNS 2014.

What is CIMSA for you?
For me, CIMSA is an organization for medical students that give us many opportunities to know and understand about community’s health and related fields as a medical student. With a clear and structured framework, CIMSA not only gives us opportunities to upgrade our skills and knowledge, but CIMSA also improve our insight about medical education in other countries. CIMSA also gives us opportunities to go on exchange, or to do research, so we can learn about national and global health, helps us evaluate our health system and get inspired to take an action as a medical student.

Why did you want to join CIMSA?
The first time I heard about CIMSA was from one of SCORA’s activity, when they invited a community which concerns about HIV and sexual as well, and that experience was mind blowing to me and made me realize there was so many things I didn’t know before. Another reason was of course, because CIMSA jacket was so appealing for me as a new student.

What made you fell into CIMSA?
Everybody joined an organization for something to gain, or to benefit from. I felt that (with CIMSA), and I didn’t think being only a member was enough. I made friends and connections through CIMSA, especially from its National Meeting. I got friends from Aceh to East Java, friends from Turkey and other countries around Europe.

Would you tell us your experience of becoming a member and official of CIMSA UNS?
As a member of CIMSA UNS, as I’ve said before, I had gained many benefits such as skills training, friends, wonderful experiences and much more, and I’m sure members of CIMSA expect to gain a lot from CIMSA too. So I really wanted to give that benefit to our members by improving CIMSA. At that time, we wanted our CIMSA to become more well-known because it would help us to get more partners to run our projects. We tried a lot of things. We sold donuts to raise funds until eventually we got a partner who would committed to give us funds.
In my time as LOCO, we had a community development and a clinic in Islamic Boarding School. Along with dr. Gama as my VLI, and dr. Kokom as VLE, we worked a lot to improve CIMSA, we joined bidding for hosting Standing Committee National Meeting, and Indonesia Disease Today (IDT as SCOPH National Meeting) was our first, which we held in Selo, Boyolali, later on WET and also NPEW.

Why did you decide to become LOCO CIMSA UNS?
When I was a member, with my friend, dr. Gama, we found few problems about members’ activeness, as to why members’ interest were decreasing from time to time, and we wondered about it a lot. It was until we made it our mission to realize our embryos’ hopes when they joined CIMSA, to make sure they benefit from CIMSA so then CIMSA members can be active with CIMSA. For that reason, I decided to apply for Executive Board.

What was your biggest obstacle while being LOCO?
I think our biggest spectacle at that time was funds, and to get authorization for our projects. It was up to us to make what we had enough, and to convince stakeholders that our projects were worth running.

What is your most memorable experience up until now?
My most memorable moments with CIMSA is when I met Joko Widodo, when he was a Mayor of Surakarta because we happened to frequently use the same place to hold our National Meetings. Moreover, I had another memorable time with CIMSA, was when I went home from the hospital, suddenly a consultant in our hospital gave me funds for CIMSA. Firstly he was curious about our projects and asked us to give a presentation about our projects, and it turned out he was impressed and even touch by what we were doing.

What are the benefits you got from CIMSA? How had CIMSA affected your life in becoming who you are?
I got a lot benefits, some were realized and some were probably not. It was from the simplest thing like wearing the jacket to go to movie and later on got acquainted with other people that I had never met before, or met a consulant who went on exchance to America before, and through these meetings, many opportunities like a job opportunities were opened. Especially since I was an official of CIMSA UNS, without even realizing it, skills and experience I got had affected how I think or how I made a decision when faced a problem now which helps me a lot. Now that I am who I am now, I couldn’t be more grateful to God for putting CIMSA in my path, and I even met my wife through CIMSA so I was forever grateful and it was unimaginable.

Please give our members tips and tricks to become like you!
Haha, don’t be just like me, but be more! For CIMSA members, don’t give up easily just because you haven’t gotten any benefits from CIMSA, there are more than just your jacket if you know have the will to know and to try. Don’t just wait around to get something from CIMSA, be more active! CIMSA can introduce you to WHO, KEMENKES, other locals, exchange opportunities, there are many things you can find if only you look.

What do you think about the current CIMSA and what needs to be developed?
I see that now CIMSA is more organized than before. I am proud to hear that many of our projects are successful now, got recognition from other locals, and many other organizations. I hope you can always maximize your creativity to improve CIMSA UNS, to get more members to be active with CIMSA.

Last but not least, would you like to give us few words of encouragement?
You still have a long way to go, don’t let yourself regret by not giving a try. I hope many more of CIMSA members can get involve in national, many incomings and outgoings. Being a doctor is not a job, it is who we are, and that is why we take vow. Know yourself first, then your surroundings, and set your goal. Work smarter, not harder. Don’t forget to give contribution to the society and believe that if you do good, you do good for yourself.