Indonesia leans on healthtech startups to cope with virus surge

Ping An Healthcare and Technology Co

10/04/2020 01:37

(Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus:
open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.)
    By Fanny Potkin and Stanley Widianto
    JAKARTA, April 10 (Reuters) - As coronavirus cases surge in
Indonesia, doctors are working double-time treating patients
both at hospitals and online through healthtech startups - an
approach that is quickly becoming part of the national
healthcare system.
    Doctor Mohammad Risandi Priatama, 26, has treated 10 people
with COVID-19 symptoms over the past month at a busy West Java
hospital in a designated virus "red zone" - and provided
consultation for scores more through the app Alodokter.
    "Because there are limited healthcare facilities especially
in my district, our people need more information that is easy to
use without the need to go the hospital," he told Reuters.
    With a lack of medical staff and protective gear, and under
4,000 hospital beds for seriously ill COVID-19 patients in an
archipelago of 270 million people, authorities have little
capacity to manage what some experts believe is an epidemic that
has been hidden so far by limited testing.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2BH0LC
    To lessen the strain, the government is directing the public
to so-called telehealth firms through which they can access
verified medical guidance, get free doctor consultations via
video, telephone or text, and even have medication prescribed
and delivered.
    Indonesia's largest telehealth firms, including Alodokter,
Halodoc and GrabHealth - a joint venture between Singapore
ride-hailer Grab and Ping An Good Doctor from China's Ping An
Healthcare and Technology Co Ltd  1833.HK  - have seen usage
skyrocket over the past month.
    "As hospitals are already packed, the government wants to
ensure only priority patients are going to emergency rooms and
that patients who don't urgently need hospitalisation can be
helped online," said Alodokter Chief Executive Nathanael Faibis.
    Alodokter clocked 32 million website visitors in March and
over 500,000 free coronavirus consultations since Indonesia's
first confirmed case on March 2, Faibis said. Grabhealth said
daily consultations had nearly doubled to 10,000.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2BH1TQ
    Indonesia has recorded 3,293 cases of COVID-19, the illness
caused by the novel coronavirus. Its death toll of 280 is Asia's
highest outside China, where the virus was first reported at the
end of last year.
     
    GOVERNMENT DEMAND
    The outbreak has prompted a surge in demand for telehealth
worldwide. In China, millions flocked to platforms such as those
offered by Ping An Good Doctor and Alibaba Health Information
Technology Ltd  0241.HK .
    U.S. and European firms have reported similar spikes, with
U.S leader Teladoc Health Inc  TDOC.N  seeing twice the usual
demand, with as many as 100,000 remote consultations weekly.
    But Indonesia stands out with the degree to which the
government itself is leaning on healthtech firms. Its virus task
force on March 27 said it would add links on its website to 20
telehealth services and create a "digital call centre" to direct
traffic. 
    Officials said they want COVID-19 patients with only mild
symptoms to be treated through telehealth, with doctors
referring those whose condition worsens to hospitals.
    "This is really good for patients who are self-isolating, in
that they can continue communication and receive direction
through these startups," Minister of Health Terawan Agus
Putranto told parliament last week.
    The task force, healthtech firms and doctors have agreed to
share aggregate patient data to aid efforts aimed at slowing the
spread of the virus, and are discussing what other information
can be shared.
    In the province of West Java, where infections have reached
365 with 35 deaths, the local authority has set up its own
telehealth service for its 49 million residents through which
people can book COVID-19 tests.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2BQ2FH
    "The app asks comprehensive questions to make sure people
don't go to hospitals for the smallest symptoms," West Java
Governor Ridwan Kamil said. Some people are even afraid to visit
hospitals believing they are teeming with the virus, he added.
   Overall, health experts said telehealth is a partial solution
to cope with the surge in patients though the quality of online
consultation and security of medical data must be considered. 
   "Telehealth provides a place for people to ask questions,"
said Jakarta-based hospital doctor Shela Putri Sundawa. "But
meeting patients directly is very different than talking to them
on the phone. How far can a doctor's responsibility go?"
    
    VIRTUAL TREATMENT
    One Jakarta coronavirus patient told Reuters she had turned
to Halodoc having found it difficult to get care after a CT scan
revealed white patches in her lungs.
    "I went home because the hospital was overloaded with
people," said the woman, who declined to be identified due to
stigma surrounding coronavirus patients. "I got an appointment
with a doctor on Halodoc and received the prescribed medicine" -
the antibiotic azithromycin and malaria drug hyloquin.  
    Halodoc, which before the outbreak said it had 12 million
monthly users, offers medicine delivery through partnerships
with pharmacies, laboratories and ride-hailer Gojek. With Gojek,
it is also offering free drive-through rapid COVID-19 testing to
Jakarta residents, as based on referrals from teleconsultations.
    Chief Executive Jonathan Sudharta told Reuters he knew of
six COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms who were undergoing
their entire coronavirus treatment through Halodoc. 
    Interest in the service from neighbouring Philippines led
Halodoc to launch a localised coronavirus information website
for the country, Sudharta said. Alodokter's Faibis said his firm
had received requests to offer consultations in Thailand.
    "Perhaps telehealth can be a solution in regions lacking
doctors," said Doctor Sundawa. "But don't exclude those in areas
lacking the internet." 

    <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Reuters' online site for the novel coronavirus    https://www.reuters.com/live-events/coronavirus-6-id2921484
GRAPHIC: Tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus    https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7
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FACTBOX-Global pharma industry steps up efforts to battle
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FACTBOX-COVID-19 and the new coronavirus: Fact versus fiction   
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 (Reporting by Fanny Potkin and Stanley Widianto; Additional
reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Editing by Jonathan Weber
and Christopher Cushing)
 ((f.potkin@thomsonreuters.com;))