Meaningful Business (MB): Can you tell us a bit about the issues you are trying to solve and why you selected them
Anda Sapardan (AS): The ultimate issue we are trying to solve is the high maternal mortality rate (MMR) and neonatal mortality rate (NMR) found in many developing countries. We believe the first 1,000 days of someone’s life are the most important, as they form the basics that shape their future and are a key factor in enabling good quality health. If we successfully lower or eradicate both MMR and NMR, related health and social issues like women’s morbidity-induced productivity and stunting can also be simultaneously tackled.
Anda Sapardan, Co-Founder & COO, Sehati TeleCTG
MB: How is your work tackling those problems, and what impact are you having?
AS: Sehati TeleCTG platform consists of four main components; an application for midwives with machine learning that can automatically detect up to 82 risk factors, a dashboard with layered users authority for clinical decision support, an IoMT based foetal well-being detection device and a web-based consultation platform for obstetricians to provide interpretation of TeleCTG’s results for midwives.
These tools enable midwives to detect foetal risk factors early on, allowing for preventive action, early intervention and specialist referrals if needed. Our platform has assisted to lower down MMR by more than 80% and NMR by 50%, and helped reduce anaemia at early stages of pregnancy by 66% through detecting potential intra-uterine stunting in foetuses. The vast quantity of data collected by our platform also allows us to identify and analyse risk factors to make predictive analysis.
We also focus on developing human resources and processes to ensure successful implementation of our solution. Our capacity building work involves enhancing digital literacy and assists in building standard operating procedures (SOP) on field to maximise the benefits of our technology to all stakeholders.
MB: What support do you need in order to scale your business and increase your positive impact?
AS: Strategic partnerships are very important for us. With 90% of healthcare spending in the hands of the government, it would be ideal for our product to be taken up by public healthcare institutions to achieve greater impact.
However, given the market conditions in Indonesia, it requires more than just good tech products with proven impacts to enter the Government sector. This means we have redirected our goals and focus to the private sector focusing on the women’s health market. It would be great if we could establish partnerships to break into the public healthcare market, or help us expand into other countries with similar needs.
MB: How do you work with partners and the wider ecosystem to achieve your mission?
AS: We work closely with development agencies and private sector CSR departments. Our aspiration is to help achieve the SDGs, specifically Goal 3, Good Health and Wellbeing, and Goal 5, Gender Equality. Since our product has been proven to help achieve these goals, we can assist our partners in advancing their objectives through our technology, while our partners fund our operations and deployment whilst raising our profile.
MB: What is your ambition for the future of your business?
AS: We aim for equitable access to healthcare for women and children, starting from community-level basic healthcare that is supported by effective technology.
MB: How do you measure success?
AS: We measure our impact as well as our financial sustainability. Specifically, we track how our product directly or indirectly improves women and foetal health in the long run, and generates a financial return to ensure the programme is sustainable.
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Quickfire questions
MB: Tell us a mistake you’ve learned from
AS: Choose your battles wisely.
MB: How do you spend your time away from work?
AS: Cooking, preparing and enjoying meals together with my family. Having quality discussion and interaction during meals.
MB: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
AS: Always be honest. Even though it is not always easy at first, it will be the best way in the end.
MB: What is something you wish you were better at?
AS: Being more assertive, and getting to grips with finance.
MB: What is the one book everyone should read?
AS: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.
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Discover the other leaders recognised on the 2022 MB100, for their work combining profit and purpose to help achieve the United Nations Global Goals, here.
