Commemorating the 59th National Health Day, GSK and Good Doctor Officially Launch a Collaboration to Expand Influenza and Other Vaccination Services Across All Age Groups for a Healthy and Productive Indonesia
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Indonesia, one of the largest global biopharmaceutical companies, has been operating for over 50 years in Indonesia and is continuously committed to improving public access to innovative medicines and vaccines by combining science, technology, and talented individuals to lead the fight against diseases. To fulfill this commitment, GSK has formed strategic partnerships with various entities to raise public awareness about the importance of vaccination across all age groups, from newborns, the working age population, pregnant women, to the elderly.
Good Doctor collaborates with GSK as a strategic partner for public education programs, healthcare professionals, and vaccination services, particularly influenza vaccinations for its own employees and corporate partners. This employee health protection program is a manifestation of Good Doctor’s commitment to achieving its vision of providing One Doctor for Every Family in Indonesia.
The collaboration between GSK and Good Doctor in influenza vaccination services aligns with the theme of the National Health Day (HKN) 2023: “Soaring Forward Towards Health Resilience.”
Jakarta, November 12, 2023—Indonesia, as the fourth most populous country in the world, faces cross-generational health challenges. According to data from the Directorate General of Public Health of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, based on the 2020 population census, about 70.72% of Indonesia’s population growth is dominated by the productive age group (15—64 years) and the elderly group (over 60 years), which accounts for 9.78%.
Thus, we have a demographic bonus with increasing life expectancy. Additionally, there is a rising number of elderly population over 60 years, predicted to increase to 18% by 2040. Therefore, a health transformation is needed to achieve a productive young generation and a healthy older generation.
The productive age group is a valuable asset to the country as it supports the elderly population and simultaneously drives the nation’s economic growth. One key factor in making this age group a quality human resource is strengthening health services, especially vaccination.
An individual’s health is determined by their immune system. As we age, our immune system weakens, making protection against flu, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases crucial to reduce the risk of serious health complications. Considering external conditions like air pollution and unpredictable hot and rainy weather, vaccinations should be part of regular health control and a healthy lifestyle. In this way, healthy individuals and those with chronic conditions can be protected at all times with the necessary vaccines.
The COVID-19 crisis has shown us the importance of vaccination. Vaccines have been proven to prevent 4—5 million deaths each year*. It is important to understand that vaccination is not only necessary for babies and children but also for adults to protect against various diseases and maintain productivity. However, there is still a large gap in vaccination coverage and public understanding of the necessary vaccinations. For example, influenza is often underestimated and considered a common illness everyone experiences. However, this easily spread disease through sneezing and coughing can disrupt our quality of life and productivity and can have serious health impacts.
As reported by gooddoctor.co.id, flu symptoms vary by age, including fever/chills, sore throat, muscle pain, fatigue, cough, headache, runny or stuffy nose. When someone experiences these symptoms, their activities and productivity can be disrupted, ultimately affecting company productivity. Meanwhile, data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that deaths due to complications from influenza reach 650,000 cases worldwide.
There are many flu viruses, and they mutate quickly. Therefore, one option we can do to protect ourselves and those around us from the flu is to get an influenza vaccination. The benefits of the flu vaccine, as quoted from gooddoctor.co.id, include (1) preventing millions of flu-related diseases each year, (2) reducing medical visits due to influenza virus, (3) strengthening the body’s immune response to flu, making symptoms lighter when infected with the influenza virus, (4) preventing chronic disease risks related to flu, and (5) reducing the risk of respiratory infections in pregnant women.
To realize its commitment to expanding access to vaccination as a preventive measure against diseases, GSK partners with the technology-based healthcare service Good Doctor. The cooperation agreement between GSK and Good Doctor was signed by both parties during the National Health Day commemoration by the Ministry of Health at the Jakarta Convention Center on November 10, 2023. With this collaboration, Good Doctor becomes the official partner of GSK to provide education and influenza vaccination services and other age-range vaccinations for Good Doctor employees and its corporate partners.
President Director & General Manager of GSK Indonesia, Manish Munot, said, “At GSK, to stay ahead of diseases and positively impact millions of Indonesians, we are committed to providing broader access to influenza vaccines and various other vaccines across all age groups. We believe this collaboration with Good Doctor is a strategic step to support comprehensive vaccination services. Together, we can bring Indonesia to achieve a productive young generation and a healthy older generation for Indonesia to soar forward towards health resilience.
Chief Executive Officer of PT Good Doctor Technology, Danu Wicaksana, said, “We are honored that GSK has trusted us as their official partner in raising public awareness about the importance of vaccination. The initial implementation of this collaboration is that we provide education and influenza vaccination services to our employees and corporate partners. The vaccination schedule recommendations from IDAI and PAPDI for influenza and other vaccines across all age groups reinforce our belief that vaccination is an effective preventive step to protect ourselves and those around us from various vaccine-preventable diseases. Therefore, we continue to encourage corporate partners who want to protect their employees, families, and communities with vaccinations across all age groups to collaborate with Good Doctor. This collaboration also demonstrates that we are fulfilling the Ministry of Health’s priority to maintain public health, not just treat the sick.”
The expansion of vaccination services and access across all age groups aligns with one of the health transformation agendas conducted by the Ministry of Health, which is to enhance promotive and preventive services against diseases. Vaccination as a preventive action will build immunity to diseases and protect those around us, especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly, infants, and people with low immunity. In other words, vaccination is one way to build community health resilience.
The theme of the National Health Day 2023 “Soaring Forward Towards Health Resilience” reminds us to enhance the health endurance of the entire community. In supporting the celebration of the 59th National Health Day this year, GSK and Good Doctor spoke in one of the talk shows organized by the Ministry of Health. Both speakers highlighted the role of vaccination throughout a person’s life, from infancy to old age. Therefore, the knowledge of the importance of vaccines and the awareness to get vaccinated according to health care recommendations need to be expanded and increased so that a person remains healthy into old age.
Medical GSK, Dr. Johan Wijoyo, explained the benefits of vaccination. “Vaccination can prevent about 2.5 million global deaths each year and control antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that causes about 700,000 global deaths annually. Additionally, vaccination in the elderly can prevent infectious disease occurrences and reduce the risk of complications in patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, respiratory diseases like asthma and pneumonia, and heart failure. For example, data shows that influenza vaccination can help protect us from heart attacks and strokes** and help protect against exacerbations of chronic conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease known as COPD***.
Director of Market Access Communication and Government Affairs GSK, Reswita Gisriani, stated in this HKN seminar that “The strategic partnership of GSK and Good Doctor includes public education campaigns about vaccination, education programs for healthcare professionals, and vaccination access affordability programs. We partner with Good Doctor, focusing on employee health through B2B collaboration. The cooperation with many corporate partners is expected to accelerate and expand access to influenza vaccines and other vaccines across all age groups so that more Indonesian people are protected.”
Another speaker at this seminar, VP of Medical Operations at PT Good Doctor Technology, Dr. Ega Bonar Bastari, said, “To increase awareness of the importance of vaccination, Good Doctor outlines various approaches. First, healthcare professionals including pharmacy staff, nurses, and other healthcare workers treating patients with chronic conditions must understand and accept that vaccination is a standard and their responsibility in healthcare. Second, public health campaigns stating that vaccination is not just a medical issue, but the core of a person’s health, so they can stay healthy into old age. These campaigns should be as massive as anti-smoking campaigns. Third, forming B2B partnerships like the GSK and Good Doctor collaboration in education and influenza vaccination services and other vaccines across all age groups for Good Doctor employees and corporate partners.”
Information about the education campaign on vaccine-preventable diseases can be found on Instagram @goodoctor.id and @AyoKitaVaksin.
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This health message is for general information. The material contained in this article is not medical advice. For more information, consult your doctor.
References
Andriani, Santi. (2020, April 21). 3 tips beraktivitas saat flu menyerang, olahraga harus tetap dilakukan. https://www.gooddoctor.co.id/hidup-sehat/penyakit/tips-beraktivitas-saat-flu/
Direktorat Jenderal Kesehatan Masyarakat Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia. (2022, November 8). Tingkatkan lansia produktif melalui transformasi layanan primer. https://kesmas.kemkes.go.id/konten/133/0/tingkatkan-lansia-produktif-melalui-transformasi-layanan-primer
Ikatan Dokter Anak Indonesia. (2023, Juni 5). Jadwal imunisasi anak IDAI 2023. https://www.idai.or.id/artikel/klinik/imunisasi/jadwal-imunisasi-anak-idai
Kosasih, Dani. (2020, Juni 30). Serba-serbi vaksin flu: Manfaat dan efek samping yang mungkin terjadi. https://www.gooddoctor.co.id/hidup-sehat/info-sehat/manfaat-vaksin-flu-untuk-kesehatan/
Perhimpunan Spesialis Penyakit Dalam Indonesia (PAPDI). (2023). Jadwal imunisasi dewasa: Rekomendasi satgas imunisasi dewasa PAPDI tahun 2023. https://satgasimunisasipapdi.com/jadwal-imunisasi-dewasa/
* World Health Organization [WHO]. Vaccines and Immunization. [Online] [Terakhir diakses: November 2023] Tersedia di: https://www.who.int/health-topics/vaccines-and-immunization#tab=tab_1
** Hung IFN et al. Prevention of acute myocardial infarction and stroke among elderly persons by dual pneumococcal and influenza vaccination: a prospective cohort study. Clin Infect Dis. 2010;51:1007–1016.
*** Bekkat-Berkani R et al. Seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with COPD: a systematic literature review. BMC Pulm Med 2017;17:79
About GSK Indonesia
As a global biopharmaceutical company, GSK aims to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people over the next 10 years. This ambition is reflected in our new commitment to growth and performance change.
GSK prioritizes innovation in vaccines and specialty medicines, maximizing the increasing opportunities to prevent and treat diseases. Therefore, GSK focuses on research and development in immunology, human genetics, advanced technology, and our world-leading capabilities in developing vaccines and medicines.
GSK has been in Indonesia for over 50 years and has employed highly skilled Indonesian talents. GSK also has a long history of supporting the community when needed through concrete actions to partner with healthcare associations and the government.
GSK is committed to continuing to leverage access to innovative medicines and vaccines to positively impact millions of Indonesian people and together build a better healthcare ecosystem in Indonesia.
Visit us at gsk.com
About Good Doctor Technology
Good Doctor Technology (Good Doctor) is a technology-based integrated healthcare service provider with the vision of “One Doctor for Every Family in Indonesia”. Good Doctor collaborates with Grab to provide integrated telemedicine services, namely GrabHealth powered by Good Doctor, with the mission of providing access to quality healthcare services for users in Indonesia. Supported by more than 6,000 registered doctors and 4,000 pharmacies, hospitals, and official trusted health laboratories in over 100 cities in Indonesia, Good Doctor is ready to meet the healthcare needs of the community. Good Doctor is the official partner of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) in accelerating the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia since March 2020. Good Doctor has also received a government award (PPKM Award) for its contribution to tackling COVID-19. After successfully partnering with Grab Indonesia in providing health service solutions, Good Doctor launched its app in March 2021 as a commitment to advancing application-based healthcare services and building a digital ecosystem in the health sector. Good Doctor services provide a complete 24/7 healthcare solution through Medical Consultation features, e-commerce for Medicine and Health Products for purchasing and delivery with partners of more than 4,000 pharmacies, hospitals, and official health laboratories, and Health Articles, content on health, tips, and lifestyle curated by a team of doctors. As a leading online healthcare service platform, Good Doctor has thousands of medical specialists in its platform with more than 26 different clinical specialty departments, as well as thousands of general practitioners.
Good Doctor has also launched the Good Doctor app, available for free download on Google PlayStore and iOS App Store. Visit us at www.gooddoctor.co.id.
Media Contact:
FORUM NGOBRAS | ayuliastanti2@gmail.com | 0822-25607961
Prasanti Dhewi | prasanti.dhewi@gooddoctor.co.id | 0822-99712737
Good Doctor Technology Indonesia (Good Doctor) has received the latest Series A funding of 10 million US dollars. MDI Ventures joined as a new and principal investor in this round, with Grab participating as a returning investor.
Good Doctor is now an independent startup led by Danu Wicaksana and other founders, where MDI, Grab, and SVF (Softbank Vision Fund) are minority investors. Good Doctor is ready to continue enhancing healthcare service access in Indonesia by expanding partnerships, which currently include more than 55 insurance partners and over 2,500 corporate clients.