Global Fund Helps Bolster Indonesia’s Health Products Supply Chain Digitization
23 October 2024
JAKARTA – On 15 October 2024, Indonesia launched a key component of its blueprint digital supply chain framework SATUSEHAT Logistics: SMILE e-LMIS, a newly developed electronic logistics management information system (e-LMIS).
This initiative marks a significant milestone in transforming the country’s health care supply chain, ensuring life-saving medicines and supplies efficiently reach those in need.
The SMILE e-LMIS, a collaboration between the Indonesian Ministry of Health, UNDP, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and other donors, promises to modernize the supply chain, creating more efficient, transparent processes. This system is particularly crucial for ensuring the availability of essential health products, contributing to better health care outcomes.
The SMILE system, which started with monitoring the distribution and stock of vaccines for the country’s immunization program, has expanded to cover other essential health products. More than 180 million units of health products were distributed and recorded in the system, including lifesaving medicines for HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.
Pak Budi Gunadi, Minister of Health of Indonesia, praised SMILE as a transformative tool for improving logistics and inventory management across Indonesia’s health care facilities, thereby addressing existing inefficiencies in distributing medical supplies. He highlighted the critical role of donor-funded programs like those supported by the Global Fund in ensuring such digital solutions come to life.
The Global Fund has played a key role in supporting Indonesia's journey toward stronger health care systems, having invested over US$1 billion in the country since 2004. These investments have primarily focused on fighting HIV, TB and malaria, and strengthening resilient and sustainable systems for health.
In November 2023, through investments from its COVID-19 Response Mechanism and in line with the strategic shift towards building resilient and sustainable health product management systems, the Global Fund approved US$9 million in funding to enhance the e-LMIS and expand it to 10,000 health facilities in 38 provinces by the end of 2025.
The Global Fund’s commitment remains steadfast, having provided substantial funding to support the government of Indonesia’s digital transformation strategy, including supporting the integration and interoperability of the vast network on health information systems.
SMILE has the potential to become a central pillar in pandemic preparedness and response by providing visibility on lifesaving health products – including demand, stock and availability data – a theme that resonates strongly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Global Fund’s contribution toward bolstering Indonesia’s pandemic response, through investments in medical oxygen, genomic sequencing and the SMILE platform, further solidifies its role as a key partner in the country’s health care transformation.
This achievement also demonstrates the power of multi-stakeholder partnerships and the importance of investing in digital health innovations to improve health care delivery for all.
For more insights, watch the launch video here.