Malang, November 15, 2025 The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FKIK) UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang once again held ANSHAR 2025: The 5th Annual Health Symposium on Hajj and Umrah with the theme “From Homeostasis to Mabrur: Empowering Future Independent Hajj Pilgrims.” This annual symposium affirms FKIK's commitment to developing scientific studies related to Hajj health, covering physical, mental, and spiritual aspects.

In his opening remarks, the Dean of FKIK UIN Malang, Prof. Dr. dr. Yuyun Yueniwati, PW., M.Kes., Sp.Rad (K), emphasized that the implementation of ANSHAR is in line with the faculty's grand vision to integrate Islamic values with health sciences, especially in the fields of Hajj and Umrah.“"This theme is highly relevant to the development direction of FKIK. Through ANSHAR 2025, we hope students can improve their skills, broaden their horizons, and understand developments in Hajj health at the international level."” said Prof. Yuyun. He also expressed his appreciation to the committee, which was mostly made up of students, for successfully organizing national and international events professionally.

The organizing committee, Dr. Tias Pramesti Griana, M.Biomed, explained that preparations for ANSHAR began in March 2025, following a lengthy process, from forming the committee to curating international speakers. The biggest challenge was finding experts with a specific focus on Hajj health, a field still underdeveloped. Nevertheless, the committee succeeded in attracting competent speakers with research relevant to the symposium's theme.

The following is a list of ANSHAR 2025 speakers and the themes presented.

1. Prof. Dr. Ahmed Hankir, MBChB, MRCPsych (Psychiatrist, Public Engagement and Education Lead with the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Mental Health and Human Rights, Institute of Mental Health, Nottingham University, UK) with the topic "“Emotional and Psychological Experiences of Hajj Pilgrims”
2. Dr. Dr. Syarief Hasan Lutfie, Sp.KFR, MARS, AIFO-K (Physiatrist, Indonesian Hajj Medical Association) with the topic "“The Opportunity for Using International Classification of Functioning, Disability & Health (ICF) in Determining Istitha'ah of Hajj Pilgrims”
3. Dr. Christyaji Indramojo, Sp.EM. (Member of First Aid for Hajj Pilgrims Team – P3JH, 2018–2023; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences UIN Malang) with the topic "Integrating Hajj Health Readiness into Medical Education for a Holistic Approach"“
4. Fuji Astutik, M.Psi.Psychologist from the Psychology lecturer at UIN Malang (Department of Psychology, Federal University of Amazonas, Brazil) with the topic "“Mental Resilience Among the Elderly”

One of the main highlights of ANSHAR 2025 was a presentation by Prof. Ahmed Hankir, an expert on mental health in the spiritual context of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage. In his presentation, he emphasized that the mental resilience of pilgrims is an integral part of istito'ah (steadfastness).“"Mental health preparedness is just as important as physical preparedness. Stress during Hajj can increase the risk of mental health difficulties, and prevention is always better than intervention,"” he explained. He also expressed openness to research collaboration between his institution and the Faculty of Medicine and Medicine, UIN Malang. Prof. Hankir advised aspiring doctors in Indonesia to be more sensitive to the psychological conditions of the congregation.“"If you actively ask and show compassion, patients will open up,"” he said.

Meanwhile, support for the 2025 ANSHAR also came from the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs. Mr. Basuki, Head of the Hajj and Umrah Organization Section, assessed that this activity plays a crucial role in improving the steadfastness of Indonesian pilgrims, particularly in strengthening their physical and mental readiness before departure.

Through the implementation of ANSHAR 2025, the committee hopes that this activity will have a long-term impact in improving the competence of health workers and students related to the preparation of Hajj pilgrims in Indonesia. This symposium is projected to be an important foundation in strengthening the understanding of Hajj health as a whole, covering physical, mental, and spiritual aspects. In addition, this activity is expected to open opportunities for broader research collaboration in the future and serve as the initial stage in the preparation of a more focused Hajj health roadmap. The committee also targets that ANSHAR will continue to develop in the following years, both in terms of the quality of scientific materials and implementation, so that it can make a real contribution to improving the quality of health of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims.

Contributor: Achmad Khidir Afandi (PSPD 23) & Ria Najja Nila Nafi'ah (PSSF 23)