Not Patients, But Data — What Census Officers Came to Collect at RSUD Dr. M.M. Dunda

BPS Gorontalo Regency — Amid the bustle of patient services and the constant movement of medical staff, RSUD Dr. M.M. Dunda received visitors with a different mission than usual. Not patients, nor a health audit team, but officers from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) of Gorontalo Regency, who came to carry out data collection for the 2026 Economic Census.

Unlike previous visits, which mostly targeted government and security institutions, this time the focus shifted to the healthcare sector. The scope of data collection was adjusted accordingly: medical and health workers who deal directly with patients every day, as well as non-medical staff working behind the scenes in administration and hospital management.

The arrival of BPS officers was warmly received by the Acting Director of RSUD Dr. M.M. Dunda, dr. Jeinfer Rivian Lestyorini. Support from the hospital's top leadership helped smooth the data collection process within a work environment known for its packed schedules and high-paced dynamics.

Hospitals, in truth, rarely draw attention in discussions surrounding economic censuses. Yet within their walls lies a complex workforce ecosystem — from doctors and nurses to other health workers and administrative staff who sustain daily hospital operations. Should this segment go unrecorded, it risks leaving a gap in the complete portrait of the region's economy.

For BPS Gorontalo Regency, the data collection at RSUD Dr. M.M. Dunda stands as further proof that the 2026 Economic Census plays no favorites — reaching everyone, from military barracks and regional officials' meeting rooms to the corridors of a hospital, all to ensure the resulting data truly represents the full pulse of Gorontalo's economy.