Indonesia's Healthcare Future: Technology, Talent, and Equitable Access

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s healthcare services can currently be likened to a grand traditional wedding feast. A party with thousands of guests, rooms scattered across various corners, and everyone wanting to sample the main dish at the same time.

This is roughly the picture of the healthcare world in Indonesia today.

With thousands of islands stretching from Sabang to Merauke, ensuring everyone receives equal healthcare services is akin to trying to distribute a plate of warm tumpeng rice to people separated by vast oceans. Difficult, but not impossible.

Due to the limited availability and quality of healthcare services in Indonesia, many citizens above the average economic level are willing to fly abroad just for treatment.

ANTARA had the opportunity to discuss this issue in an interview session with executives from a Dutch giant company at the Philips APAC Innovation Summit in Singapore.

Managing Director of Philips APAC, Stephanie Sievers, shared her highly optimistic view of Indonesia. To her, Indonesia is not just a point on the Southeast Asian map, but a grand stage full of potential that is currently the main focus.

Stephanie once gave an interesting analogy when comparing Indonesia to Singapore. If Singapore is like a minimalist luxury house where everything is close by, the roads are smooth, and if something happens, you just take a step.

But Indonesia is a massive housing complex where not all roads are paved, and neighbours are separated by rivers and hills.

In Singapore, the focus is on perfecting services. But in Indonesia, the mission is much deeper: better care for more people.

It’s no longer about flashy use of the most advanced technology, but about how technology can penetrate geographical boundaries.

A real example is Image-Guided Therapy or image-guided therapy. Imagine a doctor on a remote island having to perform a complex medical procedure without clear visual assistance. It’s like driving a car in thick fog without headlights.

This technology arrives like super-bright fog lights that help doctors see the patient’s internal condition in real-time, allowing medical procedures to be performed with high precision, even in areas far from the capital.

Next is the concept of Beyond the Hospital Walls, where the command centre plays a crucial role.

We can think of the command centre as an airport control tower. Inside that tower sit senior specialist doctors who are highly skilled and experienced.

Then in a far-off area, a small health centre in a remote part of Kalimantan or Papua, there is a nurse or young doctor who is confused facing a complicated ultrasound or radiology case.

Through connectivity technology and artificial intelligence, the senior doctor in the command centre can directly view the patient’s ultrasound screen and provide step-by-step guidance, helping to establish the diagnosis right then and there.

Thus, the young doctor in the remote area no longer feels “lost,” and the patient does not need to spend millions of rupiah just to fly to Jakarta or other big cities to consult a specialist.

This is not just about technological sophistication, but about bringing peace of mind and safety to places that were previously hard to reach.

Limited Number of Doctors

ANTARA also posed questions about the challenges in Indonesia’s healthcare services, whether infrastructure, regulation, or medical personnel?

The woman who attended the event while pregnant answered that Indonesia’s challenging geography should trigger creativity. Indonesians are known to be very adaptive; when there’s a problem, their “smart work” instinct immediately kicks in.

However, it cannot be denied that one problem experienced by almost the entire world today is the shortage of medical personnel or top talent.

In Indonesia, private hospitals are growing like mushrooms in the rainy season. Many entrepreneurs can build 10 new hospital buildings in two years. But training doctors, nurses, and expert technicians cannot be done as quickly as building brick walls.

By the end of 2025 or early 2026, the number of hospitals in Indonesia will exceed 3,200 units, with about 65 percent of them being private hospitals.

In this issue, Philips is stepping in to try to solve the problem. Not only selling advanced medical equipment but also providing intensive training to healthcare workers so they know how to use the equipment to its maximum potential.

In addition, the AI and automation technology offered is designed to cut through convoluted workflows.

If previously a nurse had to spend time manually recording patient data, the AI system can do it in minutes. The remaining free time can be used to care for patients with a more humane touch.

Technology Investment

Next, the classic question that always arises in any business: how much does it cost, how does the capital return, and what are the risks if it fails.

If building from scratch, it indeed requires substantial capital; AI technology, command centre systems, require “sacrifices” that are not cheap. However, if viewed in the long term, the investment built will yield benefits later on.

The woman who joined Philips in 2014 explained that every innovation brought to the global market must have value commensurate with its price. She does not offer luxury items whose function is only for display.

They divide the portfolio into two classes: high-end for large hospitals with complex needs, and low-end that is more affordable yet still maintains standards.