VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews.id): The digitalization of health services can help save up to Rp2 billion annually at Type C hospitals, the chief of the Digital Transformation Office of the Ministry of Health Setiaji has said.

"This budget can be converted to manufacture a system that costs much less. Because in order to build a system, hospitals do not have to build infrastructure," he explained at a webinar organized by Katadata and Dell Indonesia on “Building the Healthcare of the Future,” which was followed from Jakarta on Thursday.

According to him, the cost of maintaining non-electronic medical records is still quite high, starting from the cost of paper to health workers, who have to record information repeatedly.

Digitalization can make health services easier, starting from shortening patient waiting times while registering at the hospital to accommodating patients to access health services wherever they are, he noted.

"From a service point of view, it will be faster. Hospitals no longer need to input data repeatedly. Then, digitization also allows patients to immediately get their medical records or the results of their examinations," he pointed out.

Nevertheless, the digitalization of health services also presents its own challenges. Hospitals that have implemented system digitization are mostly not comprehensive. Not all services at hospitals are connected digitally.

"Maybe the registration service for patients has been digitized but their back-end has not been connected to individual services such as pharmacies, laboratories, radiology, and inpatient care," Setiaji disclosed.

To achieve the digitalization of health services, the government has prepared regulations starting from the Personal Data Protection Law (UU PDP) to the Law on Health, which will later become an omnibus with other supporting regulations.

In addition, president director of Mayapada Hospital, Grace Tahir, said that hospitals in Indonesia must refer to a digital-based system, especially for maintaining the medical records of patients.

Currently, her hospital is in the process of becoming a smart hospital. However, it is still prioritizing patient experience.

“Whatever we do is to provide experience to these patients. For us, the most important thing is the patient," she said.

Jakarta (voinews.id):  The General Elections Commission (KPU) will conduct technical mentoring of voting organizing group (KPPS) officers to increase their ability to help voters with disabilities during the 2024 General Elections, commission member Betty Epsilon Idroos informed.

"KPPS officers will be trained in the mentoring (on how to help, for instance), visually impaired or quadriplegic people," she said here on Thursday.

The dissemination of information on technical mentoring for KPPS officers has been carried out at provincial KPUs, she added.

Apart from KPPS officers, she said, persons with disabilities can be guided by family members or other people who can make them comfortable while casting their vote.

KPU will provide a form that will need to be filled out by people helping disabled voters at polling stations.

"They have to be comfortable with who accompanies them. Is it a family member? (KPU) allows it," Idroos said.

Later, the accompanying family member will need to fill out a form stating the reasons and vow to keep the disabled voter's choice a secret.

"The form will be available at every polling station," she said.

According to her, there are a number of obstacles that KPPS could face in assisting people with disabilities on voting day, one of which is related to data.

To tackle this, Idroos asked social offices across Indonesia to help record data on voters with disabilities.

This will allow KPU to provide the best service to them, such as presenting disability-friendly polling stations, she said.

"For example, he/she uses a wheelchair. Then we will strive to set up the polling station not on thick grass such as a football field where it is difficult for people to use wheelchairs," she explained.Another example will be to avoid setting up polling stations at venues where people will need to climb stairs to reach them in order to assist persons using crutches. ( Antara ) 

Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) Puan Maharani has sought South Korea's support for Indonesia's leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2023.

She made the request while receiving a visit from the chairman of the South Korean National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo and a delegation from the South Korean Parliament at the DPR Building.

“President conveyed and I also asked to give support to Indonesia as the chairman of ASEAN in 2023 and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, and South Korea stated that they will support and participate in the success of the ASEAN Summit and ASEAN Parliamentary, which will be held this year,” the Speaker said at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta.

The request for support from South Korea for Indonesia's leadership of the ASEAN and AIPA in 2023 was made to maintain peace and harmony in the Korean Peninsula, she added.

“So that the support for Indonesia's chairmanship of ASEAN is expected to continue to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula,” she said.

During the visit, Maharani expressed the hope that the value of trade between Indonesia and South Korea would increase considering that the Indonesia-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IK-CEPA) began on January 1, 2023.

"In the past year alone, the trade has increased by 40 percent, so it is hoped that the relation between Indonesia and Korea can be closer, increase trade, and both maintain peace,” Maharani said.

After the bilateral meeting, the Indonesian Speaker invited chairman Kim and the South Korean parliamentary delegation to a tour of the Senayan Parliament Building Complex. She also provided them information about the building during the tour, including the history of its construction.

Then, she hosted a luncheon for the chairman and the delegation. Their visit wrapped up with a discussion at the DPR Building on the potential for investment cooperation between Indonesia and South Korea.

Apart from the delegation and members of DPR, the luncheon was also attended by the chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Arsjad Rasjid.

Several business players from Indonesia and a number of CEOs of state-owned enterprises (BUMN) also joined the luncheon, including president director of Garuda Indonesia, Irfan Setiaputra; president director of PT Antam, Nicolas D. Kanter; and president director of PT Krakatau Steel, Purwono Widodo.

Maharani said she hopes that the meeting between the leaders of the Indonesian business world and the South Korean Parliament would contribute to the development of economic relations between the two countries.

She further observed that the future relations between Indonesia and South Korea will be determined by close cooperation in economy, trade, and investment.

"I hope that the economic relations between the two countries will not only be used by big companies. We have to make sure that this is beneficial for small, medium companies, the people of the two countries, can create jobs, and improve the welfare of the people of both countries," said Maharani.

It is hoped that the official visit of the South Korean parliamentary delegation to the Indonesian Parliament would strengthen friendly relations between the two countries, which already have close bilateral relations, especially in relations between citizens, she added.

Maharani further said she hopes that the friendship between Indonesia and South Korea that has been built so far can bring positive and tangible benefits to the people of both countries. Moreover, she added, 2023 will mark the 50th year of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and South Korea, which began in 1973.

"For some of Indonesia's younger generation, Korean culture has its own place through the popularity of Korean cultures such as K-pop songs, movies, and Korean food. This is certainly a challenge for Indonesia to introduce its potential, cultural diversity, and products better to the Korean people," she said.

Meanwhile, Kim expressed his appreciation to Maharani for warmly welcoming the delegation from the South Korean National Assembly and thanked her and the Indonesian Parliament for organizing the meeting with Indonesian business representatives.

"It is a pleasure to meet the CEOs of Indonesian companies who have made many investment partnerships with South Korea," he added.

He further said he believes that the cooperative relationship between the South Korean Parliament and the Indonesian Parliament will increase in the future.

"I am sure that under the leadership of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms. Puan Maharani, relations between South Korea and Indonesia will be even closer," he added. (Antaranews)

Starting the ASEAN Chair in 2023, Indonesia will hold a meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers in February.

This was conveyed by the Director General of ASEAN Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sidharto R. Suryodipuro, Thursday (19/1), in Jakarta.

He said the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting was planned to be held for two days, namely on 3-4 February 2023 at the ASEAN Secretariat Office in Jakarta.

"February 3 is the meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council, the highest body under the Summit which also functions to make decisions," he said.

Some of the issues that are planned to be discussed at the meeting are one of them related to the issue of Timor Leste. According to Sidharto, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting is planned to be attended by Timor Leste Foreign Minister Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno.

"There will also be an agreement on the modalities of Timor Leste's participation. As is well known, Timor Leste has been accepted as the 11th ASEAN country, but what needs to be decided is how the form of participation will reach the stage of full participation," said Sidharto.

Apart from holding the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting, Indonesia will also hold a number of other ASEAN meetings, including the ASEAN Summit in May and a series of ASEAN meetings with a number of partners in July.

In addition, according to Sidharto, Indonesia is also planned to hold the second ASEAN Summit in September, including the East Asia Summit meeting.  (VOI/Andy)