The UNDP Indonesia and India's eGov Foundation have formally established a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to address the critical issue of managing infectious medical waste in Indonesia. This collaboration aims to utilise eGov Foundation's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) known as DIGIT, to swiftly and extensively implement a comprehensive solution.

This significant partnership between UNDP Indonesia and eGov Foundation has emerged from close cooperation and engagement with diverse stakeholders who share a commitment to promoting sustainable and effective waste management practices within the country. The collective endeavour seeks to enhance transparency and responsibility in the complete management process of infectious medical waste across Indonesia's extensive network of nearly 13,000 healthcare facilities.

As an integral component of this partnership, Indonesia will adopt the eGov Foundation's open-source foundational system, specifically the DIGIT Sanitation platform. This platform is designed to accommodate customisation and the reuse of elements across different waste categories and geographical regions. By employing this platform-oriented approach, Indonesia gains the capacity to expand its digitalisation initiatives expeditiously and comprehensively, spanning beyond infectious medical waste to include other waste types like solid waste, faecal sludge, and chemical waste. The collaboration aims to utilise the existing digital framework to accelerate the development of efficient and cost-effective applications.

Viraj Tyagi, CEO of eGov Foundation, commented on the collaboration, stating, "We are delighted to partner with UNDP Indonesia to address the urgent matter of managing infectious medical waste. The sanitation sector demands nationwide coordination while also accommodating local variations in service delivery. Given the magnitude and complexity of the challenge, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPIs) such as DIGIT are exceptionally well-suited to cater to the diverse needs of stakeholders and facilitate a transformative impact."

Siprianus Bate Soro, Head of the Democratic Governance and Poverty Reduction Unit (DGPRU) at UNDP Indonesia, shared insights on the collaboration, stating, "Guided by the principles of South-South Cooperation and driven by the goal of rapidly adopting context-driven digital solutions for healthcare waste management, UNDP Indonesia, through the ME-SMILE initiative, is excited to collaborate and leverage the expertise of regional and global partners. The ME-SMILE application has already been successfully implemented for medical waste management across 32 hospitals and one health centre in Indonesia. By partnering with eGov's DIGIT sanitation platform, we envision exploring the compatibility of the ME-SMILE system and further establishing end-to-end traceability for all categories of waste, extending beyond medical or clinical waste."