The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a huge growth in telemedicine. Services such as Halodoc, Alodokter and GrabHealth have risen to meet this demand; and the public sector is developing services, too. Such services provide an essential lifeline to those not only in self-isolation but also of course those in remote locations or without direct access to healthcare services. Indonesia’s large, diverse and geographically disparate population makes Indonesia a particularly attractive market for telemedicine services. Telemedicine can increase availability of healthcare, while lowering costs.

Alongside the benefits that the medical organizations can reap, the drive in digitalization also means they are increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks, which many are not aware of until they become the target of the attacks.

Now, with lives moving online as result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it is not surprising that the number of cyber-attack-related cases, including misinformation leading to COVID-19 scams, has increased significantly.

The impact of cyber-attackson the healthcare organizations is not only related to the healthcare system, and the more technical aspects, but can also cause long-term reputational damage through the loss, for example, of patient trust and public confidence.

Certainly, given the disastrous impact of cyber-attacks and with the cyber threat landscape constantly evolving, healthcare organizations need cyber security to ensure that their operations, especially as they digitalize, have been implemented to run effectively, and above all, are designed to keep patient data confidential.

Developing cyber protection is, therefore, of paramount importance to mitigate the threats to reduce the risk to patient care and outcomes.

UK-based cybersecurity company Templar Executivesstands out in the cyberprotection scenethanks to its incredible performance and unparalleled track record of improving cybersecurity in the healthcare sector.

Templar Executives helped author the UK government’s first national cybersecurity strategy and contributed to the UK’s NHS strategy post WannaCry when the service was severely impacted by this major cyber-attack.

In 2021, the UK Department of International Trade has selected and listed Templar Executives as the only cyber security exemplar in its top 100 UK healthcare companies for overseas promotion.

The company employs leaders in healthcare including the former head of cyber security for the Global Digital Health Partnership who led Cyber Security agenda at a country level for 3 years. This has allowed it to have first-hand experience of the problems and common issues across 30 countries, one of which is Indonesia, and a holistic and pragmatic approach to addressing them.

“We regularly participate in international conferences, run national events and host webinars and tutorials to support healthcare organizations,” said Anu Khurmi, Managing Director at Templar Executives.

“It is important that healthcare professionals understand why cyber security is relevant to them in the delivery of enhanced patient care and outcomes.Our success in achieving this is due in no small measure to the clinicians and healthcare specialists embedded in our team who can speak from expert knowledge and experience of the she noted.

Positive cybersecurity culture

From a recent Cyber Security Conference held in collaboration between British Embassy Jakarta and the Indonesia’s Ministry of Health, on June 15 to 16 2021, both of the country representatives share insights about regulating the telemedicine sector appropriately, effectively and efficiently.

The implementations of areas of recommendation were discussed at the conference and covered areas such as:

• Security Outcomes Framework;
• Privacy Impact Assessment of data and Puskesmas (community health centers) Training;
• Governance and Strategic Risk Assessment;
• Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) development.

The UK’s Digital Access Programme, managed at the British Embassy Jakarta, will work with Cyber Capacity Unit to drive forward these areas of work with the Indonesian Health Ministry and wider government stakeholders.

In terms of wider issues of priority, through an interview conducted by The Jakarta Post with Templar Executives, the company advises that it is also important for healthcare and telemedicine organizations’ stakeholders, which include the board, professionals and staff, to have the right mind set regarding the cybersecurity agenda so that cybersecurity is adopted in a relevant and effective way.

Cybersecurity should be viewed as a responsibility for all staff in all departments in their day-to-day activities of handling data and interacting with patients, colleagues and third-parties. This is very different from the view of many healthcare professionals that cybersecurity is an issue for just the technology team.

Templar Executives advises that healthcare organizations as a matter of priority should also ensure that all their employees, from the board to the front-line, receive up-to-date awareness and training. “As well as highlighting the issues, this should also explain how practicing good cyber hygiene can positively impact their organization and day-to-day role,” observes Anu.

 “In many circumstances, cyber security is still being addressed as part of the corporate objectives and sufficient attention needs to be given to examine cyber security Key Performance Indicators [KPIs], monitor improvements in policy, and explore the root cause of cyber threats and incidents,” commented Andrew Fitzmaurice, CEO at Templar Executives. “This complexity makes it difficult for many organizations to prioritize and invest appropriately in the cyber agenda.”

“Healthcare organizations should have a holistic cyber security strategy and plan encompassing people, processes and technology which will protect their organization from attacks.”

“With the cyber threat landscape constantly evolving, organizations must regularly monitor and review their threat profile in order to identify vulnerabilities and threats and build long term, sustainable, cyber resilience,” states Andrew.

Templar Executives says that it has delivered sustainable benefits through national initiatives such as the Cyber Operational Readiness Support teams (CORS) program.

“This required delivering full enterprise architecture reviews against established security standards, supply chain and risk assessments, strategy, policy and process reviews and other targeted interventions including training for clinicians and other healthcare professionals from the Board to the front-line employees,” explains Andrew.

“In addition, we have set up the Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) portal – an exclusive community platform for senior healthcare executives to learn from shared experiences and collaborate on addressing Cyber Security issues with subject matter experts.

Templar Executives works in partnership with the Department of International Trade that provides trade and investment services and practical support in market. DIT offer expertise and contacts through our extensive network of specialists in the UK, and local staff presence in the British Embassy in Indonesia. DIT help UK companies grow and succeed in the global market, including in Indonesia, and Indonesian companies set up and invest in the UK. To explore the UK's capabilities in cyber security, visit https://bit.ly/3wREuSg

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