Deputy Minister Warns Public Against Reckless Use of AI for Health Consultations

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Deputy Minister of Health (Wamenkes) of Indonesia, Dante Saksono Harbuwono, has reminded the public not to recklessly use artificial intelligence (AI) for health consultations.

Dante stated that medical information obtained through AI digital platforms must be credible to avoid creating issues in healthcare services.

"People are increasingly turning to AI, with some patients seeking information before consulting a doctor. However, the question for the general public and for us in the health sector is: how reliable is the information sourced from these platforms?" Dante said during the Health Sandbox Summit 2026 in South Jakarta on Tuesday (10/11/2026).

Dante acknowledged that AI has eased diagnosis that doctors usually perform manually and has facilitated many processes.

"Mismanaged innovations can pose risks to patients, unprotected data can be abused, and biased algorithms may exacerbate inequalities in healthcare," he noted.

According to Dante, the rapid development of information technology in the healthcare sector has accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic, encompassing telemedicine services, online health consultations, and the PeduliLindungi application.

However, he believes that the evolving innovations, including the use of AI, need to have clear standards and monitoring mechanisms.

As a result, the Ministry of Health is developing a regulatory sandbox guideline to ensure that healthcare technology innovations, including AI and telemedicine, can be accounted for.

"We are creating a guideline for this health sandbox so that innovations released in AI and telemedicine by various founders can be rendered accountable," he stated.

Through the guidelines and sandbox testing mechanisms, the Ministry of Health hopes that digital health innovations can grow while prioritizing regulatory compliance and public protection.