Indonesia prepares AI testing ecosystem to ensure healthcare safety

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health is preparing an artificial intelligence (AI) testing ecosystem through its Health Sandbox program to mitigate risks in healthcare services, ensure patient safety, and support medical professionals.

"AI has made it easier for doctors to diagnose conditions that they previously had to identify manually. However, technological progress also comes with responsibility. Poorly managed innovation can endanger patients," Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He said inadequate data protection could lead to the misuse of personal information, while biased algorithms could widen disparities in healthcare services.

Dante said the testing program was increasingly important as more people turned to AI for various purposes, ranging from checking clothing prices and discussing personal problems to seeking health advice.

"Digital transformation in the health sector is moving rapidly. AI can now help detect certain cancers through X-rays, diagnose tuberculosis using X-ray images, identify cancer from pathology slides, and detect retinal disorders in diabetic patients," he said.

Since 2023, 60 health technology innovations have undergone testing through the program, with 39 passing the evaluation, he added.

"From one cluster in 2023, the program has expanded into three schemes: the Innovation Sandbox, Industrial Sandbox, and Regulatory Sandbox. Each is designed to encourage innovation and expand the adoption of these technologies in actual healthcare services," he said.

Dante said the challenge was not only to accelerate innovation but also to ensure that new technologies were safe, effective, reliable, and beneficial to medical professionals and, most importantly, patients.

To that end, the ministry continues to invite innovators to develop solutions that can improve healthcare services, from primary care to referral hospitals.

Meanwhile, British Embassy Jakarta Head of Economics and Social Affairs Samuel Hayes said the UK was pleased to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to advance healthcare innovation in Indonesia. He said the UK had extensive experience in AI safety, ethics, and innovation.

"We have the UK-Indonesia Strategic Partnership, a memorandum of understanding between Indonesia's Health Minister and the UK's Department of Health and Social Care, and now the Tangguh Plus Health Platform, which brings everything together under one roof," he said.

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Translator: Mecca Yumna N, Fauzul Azhim Bin Fakhrurazi
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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