Feb 4, 2022

To lighten the load of her admin work, Juwita now uses the Bidanku app developed by health tech platform Halodoc. Bidanku, which translates as “my midwife” in Indonesian, gives practitioners like Juwita a way to manage their schedules and patient records. It also has a feature that automates the reporting process with public health centers, so that monthly reports can be submitted online with ease. The app launched in July 2021. Bidanku was created after telehealth became a common service in parts of Southeast Asia, especially during the pandemic, according to Margaret Jennings, vice president of artificial intelligence at Halodoc. “Midwives are the backbone of society, providing care to hundreds of families who otherwise would have to travel at great cost to receive care,” Jennings told KrASIA. “Bidanku was built as part of our drive to improve care across Indonesia and support the Indonesian Ministry of Health program to prevent malnutrition and stunting among children.” Bidanku aims to ensure that the time midwives spend on administrative tasks is more efficient, so they can focus on caring for their patients. “We leverage AI for Bidanku by notifying midwives when there’s a high-priority patient, such as pregnant women with special needs. We also send nudges to patients for their follow-up visits, and we send tailored educational information to patients,” said Jennings. Margaret Jennings, vice president of artificial intelligence at Halodoc. Photo courtesy of Halodoc. These materials and nudges are sent via WhatsApp to patients, utilizing a ubiquitous communication channel that is typically already installed on their phones. For instance, if a pregnant patient is overweight and isn’t meeting fetal milestones, she will receive a message containing recommendations for a balanced diet with accessible and affordable meals. This way, patients, especially first-time mothers, will gain a better understanding of how to manage their health as well as that of their unborn child. Halodoc developed Bidanku over the course of one year. The team conducted field research and spent a lot of time with midwives to learn about their practices and observe how they communicate with patients, as well as how they manage their patients’ files and perform data administration, said Jennings. At the moment, more than 6,000 midwives are registered on Bidanku. “We see adoption in Indonesia’s remote areas like Papua, and we receive comments from midwives who say, ‘I never thought someone would build a tool for us.’ This shows how midwives have been somewhat underserved or overlooked for too long by tech platforms,” Jennings said. Jennings hopes that Bidanku and Halodoc can help Indonesia’s Ministry of Health reach sustainable arrangements for equitable immunization in rural communities and the prevention of stunting. “With Bidanku, we hope that pregnant mothers see their midwives more regularly, allowing for more points of intervention in case they need treatment, and as a result, lowering the risk of each pregnancy,” said Jennings. Share