Bio Farma, Indonesia's pharmaceutical state-owned enterprise holding, has partnered with Google Cloud, ConnectedLife and Fitbit through a new digital health initiative to support the Indonesian government's Healthy Indonesia blueprint and vision.

Under the Preventive Care Medwell initiative, the parties have developed a personalised virtual platform called ConnectedLife with Fitbit, touted to be "the first of its kind" in the country.

WHAT IT DOES

Built on Google Cloud’s infrastructure and data services, ConnectedLife with Fitbit allows users to synchronise their health insights from Fitbit with ConnectedLife's web and mobile dashboards to understand how their nutrition, sleep, stress levels and daily activities impact their health.

After users consent, the platform will analyse their data and produce a "Wellness Score", which includes health insights, recommendations and gamified experiences in hopes of motivating them to improve their lifestyle. A press statement mentioned that individuals can be encouraged to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and reduce chronic condition risks like diabetes.

As a result, healthcare providers and employers can provide individuals with a better understanding of their health risk profiles.

ConnectedLife with Fitbit uses Google Cloud's enterprise-grade capabilities to implement data governance, increased data protection and rigorous security controls across the platform.

WHY IT MATTERS

According to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 19.4 million people in Indonesia were estimated to have diabetes as of 2021. Meanwhile, 73.7 percent of them were expected to have undiagnosed diabetes in the same year. The number is forecasted to jump to more than 23.3 million people by 2030.

"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," said Soleh Ayubi, Bio Farma's chief transformation and digital officer.

"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."

Indonesia's Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises also welcomed the cooperation.

"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," said Pahala Mansury, vice minister of Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises.

"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."

ON THE RECORD

Currently in a pilot stage, ConnectedLife with Fitbit so far has 300 early adopters. Once completed, Bio Farma and its subsidiaries will roll out the platform to a nationwide network of 450 clinics, 1,200 pharmacies and commercial partners within the next half to three-quarter a year.

"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 towards preventive health, and enable local healthcare providers to deliver efficient and high-quality care," said Megawaty Khie, country director at Google Cloud Indonesia.