RDI Took Part in the Transforming ASEAN’s Digital Health Landscape to Improve Regional Health

The Transforming ASEAN’s Digital Health Landscape to Improve Regional Health” Webinar was organized on14 June 2022, under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Research and Development Platform Programme with support from the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). This webinar was a part of the Public Health Emergencies Webinar Series under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Research and Development Platform Programme. RDI, as the Public Health Emergencies Advisor of the projects, supported the preparation and organization of the webinar which emphasized the importance of investing and collaborating in digital health transformation.

The webinar was opened by the Deputy Secretary-General and divided into two sessions. The first session of the webinar discussed the digital health transformation of health-related data analytics to support regional policy development, along with the practical development of digital health transformation. It also included the implementation of data analysis and AI systems in ASEAN countries. The Keynote Speaker, Dr Kamran Khan, the Founder, and CEO of BlueDot, suggested that “One of the ways we can get ahead of these types of threats is producing a really timely and high-quality Global Epidemic Intelligence!”. This session mainly focused on the ASEAN and its Member States’ effort to develop a regional health-related data analytics system which was presented by Dr Socorro Lupisan, as representative of the ABVC;  Setiaji, ST. MSi., the Chief of Digital Transformation Office from the Ministry of Health Republic of Indonesia; and Dr James Lee from the National University Health System of Singapore.

Meanwhile, the second session webinar discussed the appropriate use of digital technology in improving access to healthcare services. In this session, Dr Alvin B Marcelo from the Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN) and Mr. Erwin Tenggono from Halodoc shared their experiences in developing their platforms. In closing, Bony Wiem Lestari, MD., MSc., as the representative of RDI, reiterated ASEAN vulnerabilities in health and digital health and emphasized the importance of collaborating in digital health transformation supported by AI and robust data analytics. In closing, Bony Wiem Lestari, MD., MSc., as the representative of the project’s advisor team, Resilience Development Initiative Indonesia (RDI), reiterated ASEAN vulnerabilities in health and digital health and emphasized the importance of collaborating in digital health transformation supported by AI and robust data analytics to lead to evidence-based policy and appropriate responses to difficult health problems.

Representatives from the ASEAN sectoral bodies, as well as various partners, such as the World Health Organization, the South East Asia One Health University Network, the Asia-Europe Foundation, and Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund Management Team, were among those who attended the event. It is a great honor for us to be a part of this monumental event. We hope this webinar will be one of the stepping stones in both supporting the advancement of digital health transformation and advancing the preparedness for public health emergencies in the ASEAN region through regional collaborative efforts.