mHealth in Indonesia
A new video provides insight into innovative mHealth programs in Indonesia
“I clicked it and the information appears immediately! I usually access the information about child care, maternal and child health,” says mother of two, Wina Rosmaniar, describing the mobile phone technology of Nokia Life Tools that makes health information easily accessible through SMS. It is just one of the several mHealth innovations profiled in the CHMI database featured in Mercy Corps’ new video called "Partnership For Better Health."
Many Indonesians do not have access to credible health information or quality health services. In the video, General Practitioner, Dr. Pratiwi Ratih, notes, “Not all patients receive their rights to obtain information about their conditions even though patient education about their conditions is one of the success factors of therapy.” Innovative models such as SMS Info Obat Murah, LiveConsult (Tanya Dokteranda), and Mitrais Medical Suite are offering ICT solutions not just to patients but also to health care professionals to provide health information and consultations, as well as information about the appropriate available, cost-effective prescriptions. The ease of access to heath care information is allowing both health care providers and patients interact more effectively within the health market. Thanks to these innovations, consumers are better able to decide for themselves the appropriate health care while health professionals are able to better deliver services.
Watch the video below.