Yogyakarta 19 Mei 2026 — Mayyaza Urfa Karima, a student delegate from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), successfully secured a brilliant achievement by winning 2nd Place (1st Runner Up) in the prestigious national pharmaceutical competition, Pharmacito 2026, under the Patient Counseling Competition (PCC) category. The final round of this competition was conducted offline on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY).
The annual event, organized by the Pharmacy Student Association (Himfa) UMY, adopted a highly crucial theme: “SHIELD: Strengthening HIV Interventions Through Education, Literacy, and Development.” Through this theme, participants were challenged to demonstrate clinical competence and advanced communication skills in educating the public regarding HIV interventions and management.
The PCC competition was rigorously structured into two main stages: the selection round and the final round. During the initial online selection phase, Mayyaza was required to develop a counseling strategy and create a structured video based on a case study provided by the committee. After outperforming numerous contestants from various universities across Indonesia, the UGM Pharmacy delegate secured her spot to compete directly in the offline final round at the UMY campus.
In the final round, the complexity of the case was elevated by presenting a scenario of an HIV patient with Hepatitis C comorbidity. In this decisive round, finalists were given a strictly limited time of 10 minutes to resolve Drug-Related Problems (DRPs) and draft counseling notes. The challenge then proceeded to a live counseling simulation session, where Mayyaza was evaluated on her professional communication skills, encompassing both clinical interactions with doctors and empathetic, direct communication with patients. Through exceptional mastery of clinical cases and excellent communication delivery, she successfully claimed the runner-up position.
This accomplishment reflects the Faculty of Pharmacy UGM’s solid commitment to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This initiative aligns with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by preparing future pharmacists who are highly capable of providing infectious disease education to improve patient quality of life, as well as SDG 4 (Quality Education) by encouraging students to sharpen their clinical skills and practical communication beyond the regular classroom curriculum.
