Jakarta - International Webinar titled “Interpretation of Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Indicators, GBD Measures, and the Use of GBD Compare” Organized by the Health Development Policy Agency of the Ministry of Health, the GBD indicator is a global measurement tool that allows countries to observe disease trends, risk factors, and their impact on society and the economy. Through the GBD Compare platform, Indonesia can compare its health status with other countries and monitor changes over time.
Why is this important? Because health is not solely the responsibility of the Ministry of Health. The burden of disease directly impacts labor productivity, educational achievement, and social development. For example, high disease rates due to air pollution are not only a medical problem but also reduce economic competitiveness. Children who are frequently ill will have difficulty learning, and an unhealthy society will struggle to contribute to development.
The event, which took place on April 23-24, 2026 online, featured global experts, Prof. Mohsen Naghavi from Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, and Dr. Marie Ng from National University of Singapore (NUS) and IHME. This webinar aims to strengthen stakeholders' understanding of the indicators Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) and its use in health policy planning and evaluation.
In his presentation, Prof. Mohsen Naghavi emphasized that data quality and completeness are key prerequisites for producing accurate disease burden estimates. He stated that without adequate data, the analysis process cannot be carried out optimally. He also added that this data limitation directly impacts Indonesia's representation on global analysis platforms.
"Without sufficient data, Indonesia cannot be fully represented in the GBD results and visualization platforms," he continued.
This statement reflects the challenges Indonesia currently faces in maintaining the sustainability of health data sources. Future changes in the national data production ecosystem, including a reduction in the implementation of population-based surveys such as the Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) and the Indonesian Health Survey (SKI), will result in limited primary data available to platforms. health metrics world in estimating the burden of disease in Indonesia down to the district/city level.
Meanwhile, Dr. Marie Ng highlighted that the challenge of data availability is not unique to Indonesia but is a global issue. However, only a small number of countries have comprehensive data recording systems.
"Only 86 countries have complete vital registration data after 2010," explained Dr. Ng.
He explained that the system vital registration Continuously recording births, deaths, and causes of death is the foundation of demographic and disease burden analysis. Without such a system, health estimates must rely on statistical modeling approaches that are limited by actual data.
The experience of other countries in the ASEAN region shows that strengthening health data systems is not impossible. Singapore, for example, is known for its system. vital registration which is nearly complete and integrated with the health care system, so that mortality and cause-of-death data can be used directly in population health analyses. Meanwhile, Malaysia has developed a death registration system that combines civil registration data with medical information, including the use of verbal autopsy to improve the accuracy of causes of death in areas not yet fully covered by the registration system. The availability of more consistent data allows both countries to produce more stable and accurate estimates of disease burden in the study. Global Burden of Diseases (GBD), compared to countries with data systems that are not yet optimally integrated.
In the Indonesian context, the Indonesian government is accelerating its strategy to strengthen data on births, deaths, and causes of death through the integration of health and population service systems. The Ministry of Health is utilizing the SATUSEHAT platform as a hub to collect data directly from health care facilities, including from Electronic Medical Records (EMDRs) at Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) and Hospitals, which are then automatically linked to the Population Administration Information System (SIAK) at the Ministry of Home Affairs. A successful pilot of this integration has been conducted, where birth data recorded at health facilities can be directly received by the population system to expedite the issuance of birth certificates, Child Identity Cards (KIA), and Population Identification Numbers (NIK). This approach simultaneously transforms the recording mechanism from being passive and dependent on public reporting to a more proactive and service-based system (point of care) and opens up opportunities for more accurate recording of causes of death through medical certification.
In line with the digital transformation of healthcare, the development of the SATUSEHAT platform opens up new opportunities to strengthen the national health data system. With an integrated and secure data management approach, this platform has the potential to become a sustainable data source while maintaining personal data confidentiality and supporting more accurate disease burden analysis.
This webinar serves as a reminder that the disease burden figures for each province and district/city are not just numbers, but rather stories about the nation's future. Without healthy people, it is difficult to imagine a strong economy, advanced education, or an empowered society. Policymakers, both at the central and regional levels, in the health sector, and outside the health sector, must agree that health is the foundation of national development. (Authors: Hardini Kusumadewi, Sri Wahyuni, Editor: HDI Work Team)
