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Due to Covid-19, governments around the world, including Indonesia, have instructed social distancing and closing non-essential services to to suppress the spread of the virus and optimize the operation of hospitals with high patient capacity. Given the high rate of disease transmission, especially within hospitals, telehealth technology can be an effective and efficient way to properly contain the spread of the virus and reduce pressure on hospital capacity. Telehealth technology can operate as a filter capable of protecting people who are experiencing symptoms of the virus to stay at home while directing more severe cases to hospitals.
Telemedicine is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a health service that utilizes information and communication technology platforms. This remote health service is prioritized to facilitate doctor-patient interaction without involving physical contact. Therefore, the shift from face-to-face health consultations to online consultations is getting higher, especially during the pandemic. Based on information compiled by Katadata, during the Covid-19 pandemic there was a surge in visits to telemedicine applications of around 600% (katadata.co.id).
However, according to id.techinasia.com, efforts to develop telehealth in Indonesia still face several challenges. Among them:
Different transaction activities. People's habits of transacting on telehealth are certainly different from transactions in e-commerce. In Halodoc, only 11 percent of users regularly use the service at least once a month.
Public trust. Many decisions must be made by users who are first time trying this service. For example, the question of whether the doctor chosen is right, whether the advice given is the best, to the issue of trust in the platform.
Slow-evolving regulation. Although telehealth services have grown rapidly, regulation has not been able to catch up. For example, the Indonesian Medical Council Regulation Number 74, which provides a legal basis for doctors to provide services through electronic platforms, only took effect in April 2020.
So, while telehealth is capable of providing a number of solutions, there are still some challenges that need to be resolved before the service can be mass adopted. (Ruhmaya Nida Wathoni. Photo: Databoks).
