A new digital health innovation toolkit, developed through a partnership between senior Indonesian health leaders and Monash University researchers, aims to support digital health reform from the ground up by establishing value-based digital health practices in Indonesia.
The Value-Based Digital Health Innovation Canvas (VDHIC) was developed by nine Indonesian Fellows, guided by Monash University digital health researchers, to help turn Indonesia’s national digital health goals into practical, enduring real-world solutions. This initiative is funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the Australia Awards Fellowships program.
Australia Awards are prestigious international Scholarships and Fellowships funded by the Australian Government.
Australia Awards Fellowships aim to build networks of influence and leadership by strengthening partnerships between Australian organisations and partner organisations in the region. Fellowships target senior and mid-career officials and professionals who are in a position to advance development outcomes in priority areas and increase the institutional capacity of partner countries through their leadership.
The new digital health innovation toolkit is designed specifically for Indonesia’s complex health system and regulatory environment and aligns with the country’s national health data platform SATUSEHAT, its regulatory sandbox initiatives and national health priorities.
The VDHIC provides a roadmap for any hospital or healthcare provider to implement digital health initiatives while focusing on five aims; population health, patient experience, provider satisfaction, cost efficiency and health equity.
The toolkit also builds in regulatory, clinical, data and technology governance from the beginning, supporting safe and scalable innovation.
Leading the collaboration, Monash University information systems researcher from the Faculty of Information Technology Professor Juliana Sutanto, said VDHIC supports a shift from compliance-driven reporting towards digital health that delivers meaningful outcomes.
“The toolkit helps Indonesian healthcare organisations, innovators and policymakers move beyond mandatory data submission or digitisation towards value-based digital health, where technology and data creates tangible benefits for patients, clinicians and health systems,” Professor Sutanto said.
“It provides a shared language that bridges policy intent, clinical practice and technical implementation.”
Developed as part of the Round 20 Australia Awards Fellowships program, the new toolkit provides a clear, step-by-step framework to guide digital health innovation from identifying a health problem through to delivering measurable outcomes.
The nine Australia Awards Fellows include members of Indonesia’s Ministry of Health Technical Working Group as well as clinicians and researchers from across the country.
The group took part in an intensive program with Monash University, including hospital visits and discussions with Australian digital health experts.
A strong focus of the work has been on Eastern Indonesia, where health system capacity and digital infrastructure are more limited, to ensure the toolkit reflects a wide range of regional and clinical needs.
Australia Awards Fellow Arthur Mawuntu, a neurologist based in North Sulawesi, said the collaboration helps ensure Indonesia’s national digital health reforms reflect regional realities.
“For clinicians in Eastern Indonesia, it is imperative that digital health must reduce burden and improve care, not add complexity,” Dr Mawuntu said.
“This toolkit acknowledges connectivity challenges and equity considerations while aligning with national platforms such as SATUSEHAT.”
Indonesia’s Ministry of Health said the toolkit will inform ongoing digital health policy development. Health technology expert advisor Mr Setiaji noted the work complements the Ministry’s regulatory sandboxing approach.
“Indonesia is creating pathways for responsible digital health innovation through innovation, industrial, and regulatory sandboxing,” Mr Setiaji said.
“The VDHIC offers practical guidance to ensure innovation aligns with governance, safety, and value-based outcomes.”
Head of Indonesia’s Data and Information Centre (Pusdatin) Mr Eko Sulistijo said strong data foundations remain central to digital health success.
“Interoperability, privacy and data quality underpin the effectiveness of SATUSEHAT,” Mr Sulistijo said.
“This toolkit reinforces alignment between innovation, national data standards and long-term policy goals.”
Digital Health expert Professor Chris Bain from Monash’s Faculty of Information Technology remarked, “It has been a fantastic experience meeting and collaborating with our Indonesian colleagues, and it is very rewarding to know that our work and thinking about Value-Based Digital Health has resonated with them so much".
The Fellows will present the refined toolkit to the Monash University advisers in February before submitting a final report to Indonesia’s Ministry of Health. The VDHIC will be integrated into Indonesia's Ministry of Health sandbox program.
Professor Juliana Sutanto and part of the Australia Awards Fellows and Chairman of the Technical Working Group SATUSEHAT at the Indonesian Ministry of Health Mr Ahmad Hidayat are available to speak about VDHIC and provide more details about the project's next steps.
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