Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

Bio Farma, the parent company of Indonesia’s pharmaceutical state-owned enterprises (SOEs), has announced that it is collaborating with Google Cloud, Fitbit, and ConnectedLife on a new digital health initiative called “Preventive Care Medwell,” in support of the government’s “Healthy Indonesia” blueprint and vision. Under this initiative, the organisations have developed “ConnectedLife with Fitbit,” a personalised wellness and population health virtual platform―the first of its kind locally―to empower Indonesians to take decisive steps towards healthier living and chronic disease prevention.

ConnectedLife with Fitbit is built on Google Cloud’s open, scalable and secure-by-design infrastructure and data services. The platform allows users to sync their health insights from the Fitbit application with the ConnectedLife web and mobile dashboard for a holistic view of how lifestyle factors like daily activity, nutrition, sleep and stress levels impact their health and wellness. Upon receiving user consent, ConnectedLife with Fitbit will analyse the user’s data to return a dynamic “Wellness Score,” along with personalised insights, recommendations and gamified experiences that motivate the user to initiate meaningful and sustained behavioural change.

By further aggregating free-living data from Fitbit, clinical data from other connected medical devices during health screenings and self-logged data, the ConnectedLife with Fitbit platform can help individuals adjust their lifestyles to keep blood glucose levels within a healthy range and reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions like diabetes mellitus.

“At Bio Farma, our mission is to not only cure diseases, but to also help individuals start early and tackle illness at its root, before it progresses to the point of requiring treatment. This is why we’ve been encouraging and administering regular health screenings and vaccinations for the past few decades. Through the Preventive Care Medwell initiative, we are now harnessing world-class technologies and data science expertise to advance personalised preventive care at scale,” said Soleh Ayubi, PhD, Chief Transformation and Digital Officer at Bio Farma. “By utilising Google Cloud and ConnectedLife with Fitbit’s industry-leading capabilities in wearable technology, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as their experience in building trusted digital platforms and ecosystems, we hope to empower Indonesians to take control of their health, adopt a lifestyle that prevents chronic and severe diseases, and age gracefully with enhanced quality of life.”

“The systemic shift from traditional hospital-centric care to patient-centered preventive care is a big challenge, but the right one to undertake. It also requires considerable commitment and effort from many stakeholders, and not just the government,” said Pahala Mansury, Vice Minister at Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises. “We, therefore, welcome the collaboration between Bio Farma, Google Cloud, and ConnectedLife with Fitbit. In addition to driving positive lifestyle changes in individuals, platform data from the Preventive Care Medwell initiative will serve as a key resource for insights that inform future programs, such as precision public health that delivers interventions to the right population at the right time. Successful nationwide preventive and precision care programs can make a huge difference in preventing or delaying the onset of chronic illnesses. This will ease the burden on families and hospitals, and ensure that our country’s healthcare system and fiscal position remain sustainable in the long term.”

With privacy and security of utmost importance when launching the Preventive Care Medwell initiative, ConnectedLife uses Google Cloud’s enterprise-grade capabilities in data encryption, attack surface management, network security and identity and access management to implement rigorous security controls, data governance and enhanced data protection across the entire virtual platform. When individuals register for the Preventive Care Medwell initiative, a clear and transparent consent process―facilitated through a secure web application programming interface―is initiated for them to indicate if they agree to share their data.

The platform is currently being piloted with 300 early adopters, who have each received a Fitbit Sense or Fitbit Charge 5. Once the pilot is complete, Bio Farma and its subsidiaries will roll out the platform to its nationwide network of 450 clinics, 1,200 pharmacies, and commercial partners within the next six to nine months. These healthcare providers and employers will then extend the digital health initiative to their patients and employees.

Through the platform, healthcare providers and employers will be able to leverage a separate data visualisation tool to provide individuals with a deeper understanding of their health risk profiles. By seamlessly syncing data from users’ ConnectedLife with Fitbit dashboards, health screening records and other sources, the tool enables healthcare providers and employers to remotely assess and detect emerging health risks at an individual and population level, so they can design targeted interventions or programs that will have a positive impact on their patients or employees’ health and wellness.

“With Fitbit’s technology ecosystem facilitating health improvements for millions across the world and Google Cloud’s Healthcare Data Engine already accelerating the development of Bio Farma’s Polio, Tetanus, and COVID-19 vaccines, this new initiative is an extension and recognition of our collective and positive work to date,” said Megawaty Khie, Country Director, Indonesia at Google Cloud. “With ConnectedLife as our innovation partner, we are confident that the combination of devices, software, and personalised services—along with robust accountability for data acquisition, privacy and protection—can bring meaning to health information, motivate Indonesians to take proactive steps toward preventive health, and enable local healthcare providers to deliver efficient and high-quality care.”

(0)(0)