The limited healthcare infrastructure in island regions didn’t discourage Dr. R. A. A. Koesoema Wijaya, M.Sc. from innovating. As a physician at the North Seribu Islands Community Health Center (Puskesmas) in Jakarta, he successfully developed a prototype of health technology based on artificial intelligence (AI) to support medical services in remote areas.
Working in a region with restricted access was Dr. Wijaya’s main motivation for creating a technological solution.
“I often encounter challenges when treating patients due to a lack of facilities. It made me think—there must be a practical technological breakthrough,” he said.
One of his innovations is a vital signs monitoring system powered by AI. This system is designed to assist doctors in clinical decision-making, predict the risk of complications, and support precision medicine.
“This technology acts as a second opinion for doctors. Most importantly, we ensure patient data security with a closed local network and strict access rights management,” he explained.
Dr. Wijaya initially developed the prototype independently using generative AI. Later, he collaborated with master students from the UGM Biomedical Engineering (TB) program to continue the research and development.
“I shared the idea with interested peers so we could improve it together,” he said.
This innovation didn’t just stop at the concept stage. Last year, the Puskesmas team led by Dr. Wijaya won first place in the Quality Control Circle (Gugus Kendali Mutu) competition at the Seribu Islands Administrative Regency level.
Their proposal was a technology-based budgeting system for community health centers that significantly increased service effectiveness.
“We’ve already implemented the system, and we continue to evaluate and refine it based on field needs,” he shared.
Reflecting on his time in graduate school, Dr. Wijaya said that studying in the Biomedical Engineering Program at UGM’s Graduate School had a profound impact on how he approaches healthcare problems.
“The Master’s Program at TB SPs UGM didn’t just teach theory—it trained us to find solutions using engineering approaches and cross-disciplinary collaboration. That has been incredibly helpful in my work today,” he said.
He hopes the innovations he develops can be useful not only in island regions but also across various healthcare facilities in Indonesia.
“Technology should be used wisely, based on real needs. For instance, telemedicine is a great solution for hard-to-reach areas,” he added.
Achievements and Future Aspirations
Dr. Wijaya’s team consists of five people from various backgrounds: Moch Anas (IT), Ega (Finance), Hendra (Planning), Zulkarnain (Health Administration), and two staff members from the local Health Department.
This collaboration proves that innovation in healthcare requires a multidisciplinary approach.
“We’re proud to contribute, even though we haven’t yet received provincial-level awards. But this is not the end—we will keep improving,” he affirmed.
A full presentation of this innovation is available on Dr. Wijaya’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/tmagsZLepDY.
Dr. Wijaya’s unrelenting determination, is committed to continuously developing technologies that support the advancement of healthcare services in Indonesia.
“The TB Master’s Program at UGM prepares students to collaborate and creates space for innovation. Dr. Wijaya is one of the success stories from this dynamic program,” said Ir. Rini Dharmastiti, M.Sc., Ph.D., Head of the Biomedical Engineering Master’s Program at UGM Graduate School.
This article was originally published on TribunJogja.com on Saturday, March 29th 2025, at 12:30 PM:
https://jogja.tribunnews.com/2025/03/29/alumni-magister-teknik-biomedis-sps-ugm-ini-berinovasi-kembangkan-prototipe-teknologi-kesehatan