Indonesia and Australia collaborate on AI for healthcare efficiency

Indonesia and Australia are deepening their collaboration by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance primary healthcare services, with a particular focus on maternal and child health. This initiative aims to improve data management, monitor pregnancy risks more effectively, and disseminate crucial health information to the public.

The joint effort, discussed at the National Dissemination Seminar of the AI in Health Care Project in Mataram, Nusa Tenggara Barat, brought together government representatives, academics, researchers, healthcare professionals, and development partners. The project is a collaboration between the Summit Institute for Development (SUMMIT), Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), CSIRO Australia, and the University of Mataram (UNRAM), supported by KONEKSI – Australia-Indonesia Knowledge Partnership.

Central to the project are three interconnected AI components designed to streamline healthcare processes. The Bunda Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology assists midwives in digitizing information from the Maternal and Child Health Handbook (Buku KIA), converting manual records into digital data. This significantly reduces the need for manual data entry and improves accuracy.

Following digitization, the AI Predictive Dashboard serves as a decision-support tool for healthcare workers. It presents pregnancy information and predicts risks, enabling midwives to monitor patients' conditions, identify those requiring closer attention, prioritize care, and facilitate follow-up actions. Additionally, the AI Personalized Message system utilizes WhatsApp to deliver tailored health information, education, and messages to pregnant women based on their specific data.

These technologies form a cohesive workflow, from data digitization and processing into actionable insights to direct health communication with expectant mothers. The project has also shared implementation experiences from four pilot districts in Lombok Barat, Lombok Timur, Lombok Tengah, and Garut, providing valuable insights into the practical application and considerations for AI in primary healthcare settings.