Tiomaida Seviana, Head of the Centre for Data and Information Technology, Ministry of Health, Indonesia

1. How do you use technology/policy to improve citizens’ lives? Tell us about your role or organisation. 

I am the Head of the Centre for Data and Information Technology (Pusdatin) of the Ministry of Health. The use of technology supported by a strong policy framework is a key factor in improving the quality of people's lives.   

The Centre for Data and Information Technology and Digital Transformation Office (Pusdatin-DTO) has launched an integrated electronic medical record (RME) system or SATUSEHAT. This initiative enables healthcare professionals to make more accurate medical decisions for patients, as well as deliver near real-time and reliable health big data to support health policy development.  

Pusdatin-DTO continues to help with healthcare facilities to integrate into SATUSEHAT. Currently, 32,013 out of 60,000 healthcare facilities are connected. 

The government cannot work alone to provide equitable and quality healthcare services for the entire community. We believe that the role of the healthcare industry and innovators is also crucial to achieve the goal. 

To ensure the ecosystem grows, Pusdatin-DTO since 2021 has regularly organised programmes that can support the development of the health industry and innovation through training and coaching, namely the Regulatory Sandbox and Health Innovation Sprint Accelerator (HISA). At least 473 health industry players and innovators have participated. 

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2. What was the most impactful project you worked on this year? 

There are at least three high-impact projects that happened in the past year. Firstly, starting November 2023, the public can access their personal medical resume information through SATUSEHAT Mobile. This is Pusdatin-DTO's achievement in realising the Ministry of Health's mission to make it easier for patients to access their health information through digital medical record documents.  

Secondly, the launch of SatuDNA in September 2024 is a new chapter for biomedical progress in Indonesia in bringing precision medicine to the community using genomic-based data. SatuDNA is the first genomics-based health data bank in Indonesia.   

Pusdatin-DTO supports the Center for Biomedical and Genomic Health (BB Binomika) through the Biomedical & Genome Science Initiative (BGSi) programme, especially in developing reliable bioinformatics infrastructure for SatuDNA.   

Third, the expansion of SATUSEHAT's function as an integrated ecosystem that covers almost all aspects of health service delivery, from data interoperability, health financing, drug and medical device logistics, and so on. 

3. What was one unexpected learning from 2024? 

One of the most significant learnings for me is the importance of flexibility and adaptability in leadership.  

This year brought many unexpected lessons for me, especially in dealing with the ongoing challenges post-pandemic and the rapid advancement of technology and digitalisation.  

In such a dynamic environment, I learnt that flexibility in working and making decisions is crucial. For example, SATUSEHAT is required to continuously evolve and be reliable in all situations, including crisis situations.  

This must be accompanied by paying attention to feedback from the field. This is not only applicable on an organisational scale, but also for me to work more efficiently and be sensitive to all situations and the needs of all parties.  

This learning has opened new perspectives for me on how organisations can operate more flexibly while staying within the correct regulatory corridors. On the other hand, it is also important for leaders to continue to adapt and be alert in the face of all uncertainties. 

4. What’s a tool or technique you’re excited to explore in 2025?     

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is something that I am excited to implement into the SATUSEHAT ecosystem, especially to support rapid health data analysis through automation. 

By leveraging AI, we can develop predictive models that can early detect potential future disease outbreaks, better manage health resources, and improve the quality of personalised healthcare services.

5. Everybody’s talking about AI today – give us your hot take on AI and what it means for the public sector.    

We need to understand AI and know how to use it. AI should make healthcare more effective and efficient from disease prediction to treatment acceleration.  

However, it is also important to assess how it can be implemented ethically. This includes what policies are needed to protect the privacy and security of personal data.

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6. What are your priorities for 2025?   

Pusdatin-DTO's top priority in 2025 is to expand the number of healthcare facilities connected to SATUSEHAT. To that end, we will continue to disseminate the benefits of this integration and encourage equitable access to supporting infrastructure required by healthcare facilities in the regions.   

Pusdatin-DTO will also continue to integrate various health information system applications into the SATUSEHAT ecosystem.  

On the other hand, the application of supporting technologies such as AI will be studied more deeply, both in terms of usefulness, risks, and ethics that must be fulfilled.   

Efforts to implement a flat organisation within Pusdatin-DTO will also be made to cut bureaucratic processes that are often considered blockers in implementing digital transformation.

7. What advice do you have for public sector innovators? 

The Indonesian Ministry of Health fully supports the existence and sustainability of the health industry and innovation ecosystem in Indonesia. Learning from the Covid-19 pandemic, their presence has greatly assisted the government in expanding access to quality health services for the community.   

I encourage industry players and health innovations to continue participating in the Regulatory Sandbox and HISA as a learning space for the government and innovators in developing regulations that support the sustainability of the health ecosystem.

8. Who inspires you today?  

My source of inspiration is my own leader, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who has successfully addressed the challenges of the health sector through the utilisation of technology. He has shown tremendous dedication in initiating digital transformation in the health sector in Indonesia, especially during the health crisis. 

His progressive policies to make the healthcare system more inclusive taught me many valuable lessons; that visionary leadership and the courage to make changes are important. Budi Gunadi Sadikin is the ‘father of digital transformation in the health sector’ and I am proud to be part of that achievement. 

This feature was made possible in partnership with Pusdatin-DTO Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia.