Country Experience Documentation on Digital Health Convergence Workshops
Digital Health Convergence Workshop in Indonesia 2023
Strengthening the Digital Health Ecosystem: Networking for Indonesia’s Health Data Interoperability Platform
Background of Digital Health in the Country
One of the key pillars identified for the overall health systems transformation in Indonesia is the health-tech transformation, overseen by the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) at the Ministry of Health Indonesia.
March 2021
Establishment of the Digital Transformation Office (DTO)
2021
Launch of the digital transformation blueprint in the health sector
2022
Development and launch of the SatuSehat platform to integrate health data
In the health-tech pillar, DTO identified three priority activities by 2024:
- Integration and Development of Health Data System: Enable Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) to be accessible to every individual and across healthcare facilities in Indonesia (by user’s consent).
- Integration and Development of Healthcare Application System: Simplify systems for health workers to make them more focused on saving lives rather than administrative matters
- Regulatory support for the Health Innovation Ecosystem: Propel policy innovation to strengthen the health technology ecosystem
Note: Report included in this section is only valid until the time the digital health convergence workshop was conducted in January 2023.
Workshop Implementation
Objectives
Network and update on the latest digital health developments
Share and learn from experiences of eHealth actors in the Asian region
Discuss and provide input on digital transformation programs using AeHIN’s 'Mind the GAPS Framework'
Methodology
1
Request
Letter of request for digital health convergence workshop support
2
Coordination
Formation of core team:
- Ministry of Health (MOH)
- Center for Health Policy and Management-University of Gadjah Mada (CHPM-UGM)
- Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN)
3
Planning and Preparation
- Program planning
- Invitation to stakeholders
- Event logistics
4
Implementation
Discussion points: Digital health landscape in Indonesia, Mind the GAPS Framework, SatuSehat (Governance, Architecture, Program Management), Digital Health Convergence Workshops in Asia
5
Follow-up
AeHIN General Meeting 2023
Output
- Establishment of an agency (Digital Transformation Office) focused on digital health transformation
- Incentives in onboarding health facilities
- Promoting interoperability by adoption of standards and data sharing
- Privacy and security based on compliance to regulations
- Regulatory sandboxes for data sharing (national and regional levels)
- Deploying several teams to work on implementation, including development and testing
- Starting a strategy with EMRs and ensuring interoperability
- Processing consent before data sharing
- Tailoring capacity- building to each province's digital maturity level
- Using a FHIR-based data dictionary to standardize EMRS
Key Insights
Emerging Good Practices
Facilitation of digital health consultations with civil society organizations
- Facilitation of consultations by a multi-stakeholder technical working group (TWG) on health information system
- Aim to contribute to health data interoperability as part of the national health transformation agenda
EMR implementation as part of healthcare quality assurance
- Now part of the health facility accreditation process, specifically in healthcare quality assurance, to help strengthen the quality of services provided by health facilities in the country
- Ensure the digital health capacities of health workers are built and strengthened toward HIS interoperability.
Continuous training on EMR implementation and SatuSehat integration
- Capture of health data towards interoperability, purchase of SNOMED license, implementation of LOINC and FHIR, development of dictionaries for pharmacies and local medical devices
Emerging Needs
Sustaining and scaling the technical working group
- Need for funding mechanism and M&E protocols to sustain the TWG operations beyond the current (external) funding
- Possibility of scaling the TWG model to all provinces of the country
- Need for local government support for digital health implementations
Aligning with high-level directions
- Need to align with the new Health Law, popularly coined as the Omnibus Health Law, especially on telemedicine regulations
- Need to align with the Presidential Regulation on Acceleration of Digital Transformation and Integration of National Digital Services, especially on health services (as part of the nine priority government services)
- Need to align with the Personal Data Protection Law
Updating of the blueprint for the next five years, from 2025 to 2029
- New blueprint: Digital Health Transformation Strategy (DHTS) (launching in 2024)
- More digital health implementations
Need for competency-based digital health training
- Demand for formal or certified digital health training for different levels of competencies in the health sector (e.g., clinical, managerial)
- Need for future clinicians to have integrated digital health competencies, including recognizing and using global digital health terminology standards
Maintaining and updating the standards
- Need for a dedicated unit to ensure the integrity of the standards developed
- Strengthening of governance (technical working group) and people and program management (digital health training)
Alignment of institutions
- Urgent need for coordinated digital health efforts between central and regional offices, national and international institutions, and development partners
Get Involved
We request representatives from a country's government agency and development partners to answer the form below for any digital health convergence workshop-related inquiries and requests.