Ep15: 17,000+ islands - Why the archipelago geography of Indonesia amplifies healthcare delivery challenges with Jonathan Sudharta from Halodoc

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In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into Indonesia. For some, the mention of this country might evoke extreme feelings. On one hand, there is the frustration of sitting in four-hour-long traffic jams in Jakarta. On the other hand, there are smiles all around when picturing a perfect holiday in Bali.

But for healthcare professionals, the identity of Indonesia is dominated by the unique geography of the country – a population of 275 million people living across 6,000 islands.

To help us better understand the healthcare challenges in Indonesia, which extends across more than 17,000 islands, I’m joined by one of its most visible entrepreneurs: Jonathan Sudharta, CEO of Halodoc. Founded in 2016, the company raised an $80 million Series C in 2021.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Access and affordability challenges stemming from Indonesia’s economic development, demographics, and archipelago geography

• The impact of Universal Healthcare, introduced in 2014

• The opportunity and early impact of digital health – including Halodoc – on health outcomes

Jonathan Sudharta, Co-founder and CEO

Jonathan Sudharta has over 15 years of professional experience in the healthcare industry, mostly in Indonesia and also abroad. Before establishing Halodoc, Jonathan held several key positions in Mensa Group, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Indonesia.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in e-Commerce from Curtin University in Perth Australia, he began his career in sales management and has grown through the ranks in the commercial side of the organization. He started as a sales representative, after which he became the Commercial Director in Mensa Group where he gained a deep understanding of the sales cycle of the business, and finally he moved up to the key position of Business Development Director to lead the commercial initiatives of the group.

Born in a healthcare group family, Jonathan grew up with a lot of awareness about serving people to maintain their wellness and helping Indonesian people achieve a better living through better health. That is the main reason why he decided to establish Halodoc, whose main mission is to simplify access to healthcare through the use of technology.

Indonesia’s healthcare has many critical challenges, some of these are the inequality of health services across the archipelago, time-to-service for health in the urban areas, and so on.

The aforementioned challenges require a breakthrough to solve from the fundamental level, thus technology is the key to attack the problems from the roots.

Guest’s Links and Resources