Covid-19: Indonesia leans on healthtech startups to cope with virus surge

Passengers wearing face masks have temperature checked by a healthcare worker amid the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, on an intersection of the road in Bogor, West Java province, Indonesia. — Antara Foto/Arif Firmansyah/Reuters

JAKARTA: As coronavirus cases surge in Indonesia, doctors are working double-time treating patients both at hospitals and online through healthtech startups — an approach that is quickly becoming part of the national healthcare system.

Dr Mohammad Risandi Priatama, 26, has treated 10 people with Covid-19 symptoms over the past month at a busy West Java hospital in a designated virus "red zone" — and provided consultation for scores more through the app Alodokter.