West Java partners startup to localise GenAI assistant for critical health issues

Currently, healthcare workers at Sumedang, in Indonesia’s West Java province, are tapping on a Generative AI (GenAI)-powered platform to improve their knowledge and use of tools to diagnose and treat local critical health issues.

These issues include tuberculosis, stunting and hypertension, which were among those identified as top health concerns by the Sumedang government.

West Java Province’s General Secretary, Dr Herman Suryatman, said that following the pilot’s success in Sumedang, the platform will be adopted in other regencies in the province as well.

Regencies are administrative divisions directly under provincial level.

The Puskesmas AI platform, also known as TehAI, is a virtual assistant launched on August 12. It is a partnership between the Sumedang Regency and Docquity, a Singapore-based health tech startup that claims to be Southeast Asia’s largest social network for doctors.

The platform is currently being used by healthcare workers at community health centres, known as puskesmas, in Sumedang.

These centres serve as primary care facilities, and health services are provided free for residents.

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Credible data, regulatory compliance as foundations

The platform draws on data from Indonesia’s Ministry of Health, scientific journals, World Health Organisation (WHO), and other sources from the local Sumedang government.

The GenAI technology also complies with both European and Indonesian data protection regulations, according to the official announcement.

“By providing healthcare professionals with access to credible data and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology, we can create a more effective and efficient healthcare system,” explained Dr Suryatman.

Some key features of the platform include a user-friendly interface for workers to easily access information, real-time responses, and a comprehensive database with the latest and reliable information.

“TehAI has significantly enhanced our ability to address critical health issues... It has become an invaluable tool in our daily operations, helping us to make more informed decisions and improve patient outcomes,” said a nurse from Puskesmas Sumedang in the press release.

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Ramping up partnerships

This marks Docquity’s first public sector venture, and its partnership with the Indonesian government extends to another adherence programme.

The programme would enable healthcare workers to monitor a patient's journey from their medical appointments to prescriptions for medications and lifestyle exercises.

Over the years, Indonesia’s public health system has embarked several health tech partnerships.

GovInsider recently reported in May that Indonesia’s Ministry of Health has partnered with Google Cloud to develop a test environment for GenAI healthcare solutions. The partnership terms include improving data management, and implementing tech and AI within health services.

Additionally, Healthcare IT News previously reported Indonesian health minister’s meeting with billionaire Elon Musk to explore tapping on the latter’s satellite system, Starlink, to improve internet connectivity for puskesmas in remote areas of the country.

Robust data is also a critical foundation for AI-driven innovations in healthcare. In 2022, the Indonesian government moved its electronic medical records to the cloud.

Beyond data storage, the use of the cloud supports the work carried out by the Ministry of Health's Digital Transformation Office (DTO) team, including areas such as business processes, building products, and running applications, said DTO’s Deputy Chief, Agus Rachmanto, to GovInsider previously.