Indonesia's Ministry of Health and Tanoto Foundation Collaborate to Improve the Nation's Primary Health Care Services

SINGAPORE, March 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrated Health Post (Posyandu) cadres are at the forefront of providing health services throughout Indonesia. Recognising their importance, the Indonesian government has taken actions to increase the capacity and efficiency of the Posyandu cadres.

The active involvement of various parties is needed to support the implementation of better Posyandu services and maximise the benefits for the community, especially for maternal and child health.

Currently, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia is collaborating with Tanoto Foundation to develop digital learning modules aimed at increasing the capacity of 1.5 million Posyandu cadres in mastering 25 basic competencies. These competencies include the ability to explain the use of Maternal and Child Health ("Buku KIA") handbooks for parents of children under five, provide education on breastfeeding and age-appropriate complementary feeding, and improve interpersonal communication skills to influence the positive behaviours to achieve better health.

Tanoto Foundation also supports the acceleration of digital health transformation, especially in improving the Master Data Index to enable integration across systems and applications. Integration with the Aplikasi Sehat IndonesiaKu (ASIK) system is carried out to record health service results and monitor patients and programme participation in all primary care health units (such as community health centres, village health centers and Posyandu) with the SATUSEHAT national health management platform. This integration ensures that health services are increasingly targeted, especially in preventing stunting and improving maternal and child health.

Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the Minister of Health, when receiving a visit from the Tanoto Foundation in his office earlier this month, said that Posyandu cadres are the forefront of health services for the community. "Therefore, I hope that the implementation of the LMS (Learning Management System) can soon be rolled out nationally so that cadres have the required skills and competencies," he said.

Tanoto Foundation, which was founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, is an independent philanthropic organisation with focus on the field of education and health. The Foundation has collaborated with the Government of Indonesia on various programmes to accelerate the reduction of stunting rates since 2018. The latest collaboration between Tanoto Foundation and the Ministry of Health in the field of increasing the capacity of Posyandu cadres and accelerating the digital health transformation started in 2023.

"Currently, all 78 Posyandu cadre training modules have been included in the learning management system, the Plataran Sehat platform, which is owned by the Ministry of Health. Trials of the use of the digital modules by Posyandu cadres are being carried out in three districts in East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and West Java provinces," said Inge Kusuma, Country Head of Tanoto Foundation Indonesia.

Meanwhile, accelerating digital health transformation through the SATUSEHAT platform is important to ensure that the national health data management system becomes more comprehensive and sustainable. "We also support the creation of an executive dashboard system to carry out the monitoring and evaluation. This will make it easier to carry out comprehensive analysis, decision making and policy making in the health sector," Inge added.

"The combination of accurate data and technology-supported interventions will help accelerate the process of early detection of stunting risk factors. As such, it is now possible to carry out interventions early to improve one's health in the long-term," she explained.

Tanoto Foundation has allocated IDR 16 billion for the development of digital learning modules for Posyandu cadres and the development of the SATUSEHAT system. In addition, Tanoto Foundation, together with APRIL Group, also support the Ministry of Health's initiative by providing necessary medical equipment and training for health workers at 29 community health centers in Riau province.

Minister Sadikin commended Tanoto Foundation for continuing to help the government by supporting its programmes, especially in the health sector. "Health issues are our key concern. We are appreciative of Tanoto Foundation for taking an active role in helping to address them. I hope that Tanoto Foundation will continue to contribute to this important initiative and expand its programme throughout Indonesia," concluded the Minister of Health.

For more information, please contact:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.tanotofoundation.org

About Tanoto Foundation:

Tanoto Foundation is an independent philanthropic organisation in the field of education founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981 based on the belief that every person should have the opportunity to realize his or her full potential. Tanoto Foundation's programmes stem from the belief that quality education accelerates equal opportunity. We strive to unlock people's potential and enhance lives through quality education, starting from an early age through to productive age. The three pillars of Tanoto Foundation's commitment are improving the learning environment, developing future leaders, and facilitating medical research.

SOURCE Tanoto Foundation