Two regencies to become models for primary healthcare digitalisation
Purbalingga — Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has praised the progress of primary healthcare digitalisation in Purbalingga Regency, Central Java, which he believes has the potential to serve as a model for implementation in other parts of Indonesia.
During a press briefing at the headquarters of the Purbalingga District Health, Population Control and Family Planning Office on Tuesday, the Health Minister stated that the digitalisation of services at health centres (puskesmas) and community health posts (posyandu) forms part of the Scalable Public Health Empowerment Research and Education Sites (SPHERES) project.
The programme is a collaboration between Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) and the Indonesian Ministry of Health, currently being piloted in two regions: Purbalingga Regency and West Lombok Regency.
“The background is that we held a competition to identify which regions had the highest commitment to the pilot programme for digital transformation of primary healthcare services in puskesmas and posyandu. Alhamdulillah, two regents emerged as winners from West Lombok and Purbalingga,” said Health Minister Budi.
According to him, initial findings have shown encouraging progress, with expectations that the programme can serve as a model for implementation by other regions in Indonesia.
“Now we are reviewing how the programme is progressing and I find it excellent. Hopefully it can become an example to be implemented in all 514 regencies and cities across Indonesia,” said the Health Minister.
The Ministry of Health is targeting the rollout of primary healthcare digitalisation services to occur in stages over approximately three years.
The Health Minister further noted that the digital system serves not only to gather public health data but also to leverage that data for disease prevention efforts.
“The purpose is that the data must be used to make our communities healthier, to prevent them from becoming ill. For instance, hypertension, which we find frequently, if left unchecked can lead to stroke, heart disease, or kidney problems. With this data we can provide prompt treatment and medication to lower blood pressure,” he said.
He stated that the digital system is also expected to reduce the administrative burden on healthcare workers at puskesmas and posyandu, who have previously had to fill in various applications and reports separately.
“With this, healthcare workers are expected to have more time to serve the community rather than being preoccupied with filling out reports or applications from ministries and local government,” said the Health Minister.
Regarding the positive impacts of the SPHERES project, Purbalingga Regent Fahmi Muhammad Hanif stated that the programme brings substantial benefits to local government by providing public health data to enable policymakers and programme developers to base decisions on current conditions.
West Lombok Regent Lalu Ahmad Zaini similarly noted that the programme’s implementation has made healthcare services to the community faster and enables early detection of various diseases.