▲ (Left) Dr. Astuti Giantini, Director of RSUI, (Middle) Kang Do hyun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, (Right) Hwang Hee, CEO of KakaoHealthcare

[May 28, 2024] KakaoHealthcare (CEO Hwang Hee), announced on May 27th that it has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Rumah Sakit Universitas Indonesia (RSUI), the national university hospital of Indonesia, to explore the localization and expansion strategies for its AI-based glucose management service, PASTA.

The initiative follows a keynote speech at the “Korea-Indonesia-ASEAN AI Workshop” on September 7, 2023, during the Korea-ASEAN Summit. The Minister of Science and ICT of South Korea outlined a ‘Digital Cooperation Plan’ to provide ASEAN countries with AI-based, K-digital wellness products for free, supporting the global expansion of South Korea’s advanced AI solutions. Subsequently, KakaoHealthcare has been actively seeking partnerships with the Indonesian government, hospitals, and private sectors in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency of South Korea.

Under the new agreement, KakaoHealthcare will conduct pilot tests targeting doctors and patients at RSUI to adapt and enhance the solution locally, while some AI engines will be refined using local databases and data. Continuous Glucose Monitoring devices (CGM), needed for the pilot, will be provided free of charge by the global enterprise Dexcom.

In February, KakaoHealthcare launched its smart glucose management solution powered by AI, ‘PASTA.’ PASTA is a class 2 software as a medical device certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which uses CGM to analyze real-time glucose levels along with user-entered lifelog data on diet, exercise, and sleep, and suggests lifestyle recommendations through AI.

CEO Hwang Hee expressed the significance of the agreement, stating, “This MOA is meaningful as it lays the groundwork for PASTA’s entry into the Indonesian market through collaboration with a leading local hospital. We are committed to achieving meaningful results quickly through our cooperation with local healthcare providers.” (End)