Rising to the cybersecurity challenge in Indonesia’s healthcare system

The digital transformation in healthcare benefits both healthcare organizations and patients. For example, it helps a hospital operate networked systems and processes for patients and medical staff, and enables the necessary care and services to be provided with much greater efficiency and accuracy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought tremendous growth in telemedicine. Services like Halodoc, Alodokter, and GrabHealth have risen to meet this demand; the public sector is also developing services. Such services are an essential lifeline not only for those who find themselves in self-isolation, but also of course for those who are in remote locations or who do not have direct access to health services. Indonesia’s large, diverse and geographically inconsistent population makes Indonesia a particularly attractive market for telemedical services. Telemedicine can increase the availability of health care while reducing costs.

In addition to the advantages that medical organizations can reap, advancing digitization also means that they are increasingly susceptible to cyber attacks, which many only become aware of when they are the target of the attacks.

Given that lives are shifting online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), it is not surprising that the number of cyber-attack-related cases, including misinformation leading to COVID-19 scams, is significant has increased.

The effects of cyber attacks on health organizations are not only related to the health system and the more technical aspects, but can also cause long-term reputational damage, for example through the loss of patient and public trust.

Given the disastrous effects of cyberattacks and the ever evolving cyber threat landscape, healthcare organizations certainly need cybersecurity to ensure that their operations, especially when it comes to digitization, are effective and, most importantly, designed to keep patient data confidential.

The development of cyber protection is therefore of the utmost importance to mitigate the threats and reduce the risk to patient care and outcomes.

UK cybersecurity firm Templar Executives excels on the cyber security scene for its incredible accomplishment and unparalleled track record in improving cybersecurity in healthcare.

Templar Executives helped create the UK government’s first national cybersecurity strategy and contributed to the UK NHS strategy after WannaCry when the service was severely impacted by this major cyber attack.

In 2021, the UK Department of International Trade selected and listed Templar Executives as the sole example of cybersecurity among its top 100 UK healthcare companies for promotion abroad.

The company employs healthcare executives, including the former head of cybersecurity for the Global Digital Health Partnership who led the country-level cybersecurity agenda for 3 years. This has made it possible to experience firsthand the problems and common problems in 30 countries, including Indonesia, and to find a holistic and pragmatic approach to solving them.

“We regularly attend international conferences, host national events, and host webinars and tutorials to support healthcare organizations,” said Anu Khurmi, managing director at Templar Executives.

“It is important that healthcare professionals understand why cybersecurity is relevant to them in delivering improved patient care and outcomes. Our success in doing this is due not least to the clinicians and health specialists who are embedded in our team and whom we can speak of. ”Expertise and experience that she notes.

Positive cybersecurity culture

At a recent cybersecurity conference held from June 15-16, 2021 in cooperation between the British Embassy Jakarta and the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the two country representatives exchanged insights into the appropriate, effective and efficient regulation of the telemedicine sector.

The implementation of the recommendation areas was discussed at the conference and included areas such as:

Framework for safety outcomes;
Data protection impact assessment and puskesmas (community health centers) training;
Governance and strategic risk assessment;
Development of the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT).

The UK Digital Access Program, administered by the UK Embassy Jakarta, will work with the Cyber Capacity Unit to advance these areas of work with the Indonesian Ministry of Health and other government officials.

Regarding more general priorities, the company points out in an interview with Templar executives conducted by The Jakarta Post that it is also important for the stakeholders of health and telemedicine organizations, which include the board of directors, professionals and staff, to have the right one To have the understanding of the cybersecurity agenda in order for cybersecurity to be implemented in a relevant and effective manner.

Cybersecurity should be seen as a responsibility of all employees in all departments in the daily handling of data and the interaction with patients, colleagues and third parties. This is very different from how many health professionals believe that cybersecurity is only an issue for the technology team.

Templar Executives advises that healthcare organizations should also ensure that all of their employees, from the board of directors to the front line, are up to date and trained as a matter of priority. “This should not only highlight the problems, but also explain how good cyber hygiene can have a positive impact on your organization and your daily role,” observes Anu.

“In many cases, cyber security is still treated as part of business objectives and adequate attention needs to be paid to studying key performance indicators for cyber security. [KPIs]To monitor policy improvements and investigate root causes of cyber threats and incidents, ”commented Andrew Fitzmaurice, CEO of Templar Executives. “This complexity makes it difficult for many companies to set priorities and invest appropriately in the cyber agenda.”

“Healthcare organizations should have a holistic cybersecurity strategy and plan that includes the people, processes and technologies that protect their organization from attack.”

“With the evolving cyber threat landscape, organizations need to regularly monitor and review their threat profile to identify vulnerabilities and threats and build long-term, sustainable cyber resilience,” said Andrew.

Templar Executives says it has brought lasting benefits through national initiatives like the Cyber Operational Readiness Support Teams (CORS) program.

“This required full corporate architecture reviews against established security standards, supply chain and risk assessments, strategy, policy and process reviews, and other targeted actions, including training clinicians and other healthcare professionals from the board to the frontline,” said Andrew.

“We also set up the Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) portal – an exclusive community platform for healthcare executives to learn from shared experiences and collaborate with subject matter experts in addressing cyber security issues.

Templar Executives works with the Department of International Trade, which provides trading and investment services as well as hands-on market support. DIT offers expertise and contacts through our extensive network of specialists in the UK and the local staff presence in the British Embassy in Indonesia. DIT helps UK companies grow and thrive in the world market, including Indonesia, and Indonesian companies set up and invest in the UK. To explore the UK’s cybersecurity capabilities, visit https://bit.ly/3wREuSg