Indonesia healthcare AI hackathon targets nation’s most urgent health challenges

Indonesian Ministry of Health is organising the Healthcare AI Hackathon 2025, inviting innovators to develop artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to tackle Indonesia’s urgent health challenges, including tuberculosis (TB), cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stunting, and stroke. 

Ministry of Health’s Expert Staff on Health Technology, Setiaji, says that this first-ever hackathon is not merely a competition but part of a broader strategic push to transform healthcare.  

“The primary goal is to develop innovative solutions that are measurable, impactful, and sustainable, aligned with the health digital transformation agenda,” he says. 

According to Setiaji, the five major diseases highlighted in the hackathon were chosen based on their epidemiological and economic impact.  

TB and cardiovascular disease/stroke are the leading causes of death in the country. Diabetes mellitus was prioritised due to its rapidly increasing prevalence and because it accounts for nearly 10 per cent of total National Health Insurance (JKN) claims. 

Meanwhile, stunting was raised as a strategic issue because of its long-term and irreversible impact on children’s cognitive development. 

“Reducing stunting is a major target in the national development agenda, as it directly affects the quality of human resources and Indonesia’s future demographic dividend,” he adds. 

Launched on September 11, the hackathon is now entering its selection stage. Final judging will take place on October 13-14, with winners unveiled on National Health Day, November 12. 

Building test-ready AI solutions 

Setiaji stresses that teams must deliver functional, test-ready prototypes – not merely proofs of concept – with the potential to be scaled into fully developed products.  

Each project will be judged on clear, quantitative metrics, such as diagnostic accuracy or measurable improvements, such as reductions in blood sugar levels for diabetes patients. 

“Most importantly, each solution must comply with interoperability standards so it can be integrated with SATUSEHAT,” he says, adding that the Ministry is ready to support further development, from incubation and pilot projects in public hospitals to potential strategic partnerships.

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According to him, the Ministry envisions solutions that could identify patients at risk before diseases manifest, reduce the time and cost of diagnosis, and strengthen treatment adherence.  

Targets were to cut TB screening time by 75 per cent, boost patient treatment adherence by more than 25 per cent, and 90 per cent sensitivity in detecting diabetic retinopathy. 

“Solutions are also expected to contribute to lowering diagnostic and treatment costs in the future,” he continues. 

For the Ministry, the hackathon serves as a stepping stone in implementing the National AI Roadmap, which emphasises predictive, preventive, participatory, and personalised (4P) healthcare services. 

Safeguarding innovation and regulation 

While the promise of AI in healthcare is vast, Setiaji emphasises a multi-dimensional approach to AI innovation in healthcare, covering ethics, security, and data protection.

He underlines that all solutions must comply with the Personal Data Protection Act and AI ethics guidelines, which emphasise transparency, accountability, and human-centred principles.  

“AI must function as a clinical decision-support tool, not as an autonomous decision-maker,” he adds.  

The Ministry of Health has also prepared a regulatory sandbox, providing a safe and controlled environment to test innovations before they are rolled out to the public. 

Teams are also required to adopt a human-centred design approach from the outset, ensuring patient safety from and usability remain top priorities. 

To ensure quality, the jury and mentors for this hackathon include academics from the University of Indonesia (UI) and Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), clinicians from Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, and regulators from the Ministry of Health and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). 

Development partners such as AWS, PwC, and East Ventures are involved to evaluate technical feasibility and business potential. 

“As with last year’s Health Innovation Sprint Accelerator (HISA), hackathon winners have been given a clear pathway to receive support through incubation, pilot projects in government healthcare facilities, and strategic partnerships for wider adoption,” says Setiaji. 

The competition timeline includes registration (September 11-28), initial judging (October 1-3), intensive incubation with experts (October 2-10), and the finals on October 13-14. Winners will have the opportunity to present their solutions directly to the Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on November 12.