Bio Farma, a state-owned holding enterprise in the pharmaceutical sector, is developing an end-to-end health ecosystem. The ecosystem includes pharmaceutical research and development, manufacturing, and distribution to retail operations, clinics, and clinical laboratories.

“This is the world’s first end-to-end health system. Of course, there are challenges in the process,” said Soleh Ayubi, the Deputy Main Director of Bio Farma Group, while giving a guest lecture on Digital Business Transformation for the Executive Master of Business Administration class batch 66 (EMBA 66), MBA ITB virtually on Tuesday (7/3).

According to Soleh, some of the challenges in realizing an end-to-end health system are the dynamics between research conducted by companies and the needs of the market, inventory (excess stock), and the scarcity of goods on the market. These challenges later become the basis for companies to develop digital businesses.

Furthermore, the health ecosystem is based on digital development, one of which is through super apps, including MedBiz, Mediverse, and Medwell.

MedBiz is a B2B Pharmaceutical Marketplace to facilitate the distribution of medicines and medical devices. Mediverse is integrated with the nearest pharmacy as a medical evaluation for consulting doctors. Finally, Medwell as Preventive Care collaborates with Google Cloud, FitBit, and ConnectedLife.

Bio Farma hopes that the presence of these various super apps can help become preventive and promotive steps. This is due to the rise of health issues that occur in society.

Bio Farma hopes that digitalization will not only serve as an enabler, in the sense that it is limited to administrative processes, but will become a tool in business transformation so that business processes can run efficiently. The company hopes that digitalization will bridge the needs of the various parties involved, including internal needs from various company departments and external needs in the form of market needs.

Apart from super apps, the first digital business transformation carried out by Bio Farma was the use of AI Machine Learning. AI Machine Learning is useful in Research Development and manufacturing.

AI Machine Learning, for example, can be used to harvest viruses at the optimal time in developing polio vaccines, tetanus vaccines, and covid vaccines. This has a significant impact on the production process; namely, companies can save up to 3-4% capital, as well as reduce work risk.

For Soleh Ayubi, the business transformation carried out by Bio Farma is a manifestation of the responsibility of a leader to continue to grow with the various challenges that exist.

“Digitalization is expected to make Bio Farma a provider of public health systems that provide the best products and services at affordable prices,” he added.

Finally, the digitization of the developed business can be measured through the business value aspects provided. Bio Farma makes business value an indicator for measuring digital business transformation. The company’s business value can be measured by increasing the company’s revenue, efficiency, customer experience, accelerating product development, and public safety.

“If one of the five indicators is met, the measured business is effective. However, if none of the indicators are met, the program does not positively impact the company and must be stopped,” explained Soleh Ayubi.

Digital Business Transformation course for the Executive MBA batch 66
Written by Student Reporter (Talitha Noveasara D, MBA YP 67A)