The Community Health Center (Puskesma), in West Java province, south of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, will use generative AI to strengthen its capacity to address major health issues.
Sumedang province recently partnered with Singapore-based doctor network platform Docquity to develop and release “TehAI,” a virtual assistant powered by genAI.
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TehAI reportedly has an intuitive, easy-to-use chat interface through which local health workers can access genAI-driven information that draws from a wide knowledge base, including scientific journals, the World Health Organization repository, Indonesia's Ministry of Health databases, and Sumedang government data sources.
Why is this important?
According to a media release, the use of the genAI platform will initially focus on improving Puskesmas officials' knowledge on the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, stunting and hypertension, the most commonly identified health concerns in Sumedang regency (regencies are Indonesia's second-level administrative divisions, directly below provinces).
Tuberculosis in Indonesia has been on the rise in recent years, with cases expected to exceed 1 million and deaths recorded at around 130,000 in 2023, up from an estimated 800,000 in 2020. This would be the second-highest number in the world that year after India.
Meanwhile, Indonesia is working to achieve its target of reducing stunting cases, which are higher than the Asian average, from 21 percent in 2022 to 14 percent this year.
High blood pressure has become a major health risk in Japan, affecting one in three people and claiming more than 400,000 lives.
Larger trends
Following the pilot in Sumedang, West Java province plans to expand the rollout of TehAI to other provinces.
“The success of this initiative will pave the way for similar initiatives to be rolled out in other regencies in West Java, improving health outcomes across the province,” said provincial secretary-general Dr Herman Suriyatman.
The adoption of emerging technologies such as genAI in Puskesma, Indonesia, contributes to larger efforts to digitize healthcare in rural areas, which includes the mandatory rollout of EMRs and proposed implementation of satellite internet connectivity.
The Sumedang genAI platform project also marks Dokuity's first partnership in the public sector. Besides this project, Dokuity is also working with the province on programs aimed at ensuring patient adherence to medication schedules, appointments and prescribed lifestyle activities.
