Over eight years, Indonesia’s SMILE (the Electronic Health Logistics Inventory Monitoring System) has emerged as one of the country’s most transformative digital health innovations. It has streamlined health logistics, strengthening infectious diseases control, and reshaping the Gender Equality, and Social Inclusion (GESI) dynamics across frontline health systems. Built by the Ministry of Health of Indonesia and UNDP, with support from GAVI and the Global Fund, SMILE has expanded from an immunization tracker to a nationwide integrated supply chain solution—demonstrating how digital technology can advance public health and empower the health workforce. 

More than 15,300 health workers —88% of them are women— use SMILE daily. They represent 10,300 community health centers in 514 districts/cities across 38 provinces in Indonesia, working to ensure vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and treatments reach those who need them on time. SMILE has grown into a comprehensive real-time health logistics platform used across immunization, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Rabies, Dengue, medical waste management and potentially 12 other health programmes.

The results are striking; faster and more accurate decision-making through real-time stock visibility. This has enabled efficient planning and distribution, preventing stockouts and wastage. The numbers do speak volume with nearly five million pregnant women and millions of newborns and children have benefited from improved immunization access every year. Over 1 billion vaccines and 328 million of drugs and other health commodities have been administered and managed through the SMILE system. This scale of impact positions SMILE as a flagship of Indonesia’s digital transformation and the backbone of SATUSEHAT, the national digital health ecosystem as legalized through the Ministerial Decree in 2024. 

Equally empowering healthcare workers at the frontlines 

One of SMILE’s key successes is its contribution to promote GESI  within the health workforce. It has been a quiet force uplifting the people who keep Indonesia’s health system running. Behind every vaccine and medicine delivered and every health crisis averted, there are women juggling multiple roles. Many health workers in remote areas battling lack of proper infrastructure yet carrying the weight of community expectations, and district health officers making difficult decisions in critical moments.

This human-centered narrative of digital health transformation reflects what the SMILE GESI Assessment uncovered through focused-group discussions with 80 SMILE users—male and female health workers in urban, rural and remote areas whose daily experiences reveal SMILE’s true impact. The majority of health staff at puskesmas (Community Health Centers), district/city and provincial health offices shared that the platform has become a powerful enabler—shifting them from time-consuming manual administrative tasks to more meaningful, digitally savvy and efficient work.

Across community health centers where female staff make up the majority of pharmacists, vaccines and health logistics managers, they used to spend long hours manually compiling data, reconciling mismatched records, and responding to urgent requests with limited information. Many described staying late into the evening, redoing handwritten reports, or missing precious time with their families. SMILE didn’t just digitize their tasks—it gave them back time, confidence, and control. 

“Our digital literacy significantly improved since using SMILE. The impact can be seen clearly for vaccination and other health programs,” shared one respondent. Women participants explained that SMILE has reduced their administrative workload, allowing them to focus more on patient care rather than paperwork. Many described this shift not only as a logistical improvement, but also as a personal one—they felt more capable, valued, and less overwhelmed in their roles.

As for men respondents, SMILE became a tool that strengthened their role in planning, forecasting, and coordinating. They appreciated the clarity and speed provided by real-time stock information, which helped them feel better prepared and more confident in critical decision-making. Both perspectives highlight the human side of digital transformation: people performing their roles better with more dignity and less stress, enabled by technology that supports their day-to-day work.

Despite its benefits, the recent SMILE GESI assessment also revealed the emotional and physical strain many health workers face. Women, in particular, spoke about the challenge of mastering the digital system while balancing training sessions with ongoing service duties. As one participant noted, “Training while serving often puts female staff at a disadvantage.”

Online training was often interrupted by facility responsibilities—patients walking in, phones ringing, supervisors needing help. Many women admitted they attended training with half their mind still on the clinic, then took unfinished tasks home at night. Men, while also busy, generally found it easier to focus or carve out protected time to participate in the training.

To address these challenges, SMILE offers a flexible e-learning platform that allows users to navigate courses at their own pace. The personalized training structure accommodates different schedules and learning speeds, increasing engagement and completion rates among health staff with limited time. It has enhanced the interests of health staff with time constraints, different progress and learning paces, leading to greater engagement and completion of learning.

This assessment also found differences in how men and women respond to after-hours notifications from SMILE. Men tend to weigh urgency—responding only when the issue cannot wait. Women, however, feel a deeper sense of obligation. “Even during holidays or in the middle of the night, I still do my duty as program manager,” said a female respondent. Level of dedication reflects not only professional responsibility but also emotional labour—something digital tools must account for. As SMILE expands, features like improved notification settings and more integrated systems can help alleviate these pressures.

Building a digital platform that understands its users back

The people behind SMILE are not just users—they are key partners in improving Indonesia’s health system. Their insights from this GESI assessment highlight urgent priorities: in-person training to support users—especially women balancing hectic responsibilities, integrating health systems to banish the burnout of multiple data entry, and fortifying data security. These aren't mere technical upgrades but essential investments in the well-being of frontline heroes who carry the weight of public health on their shoulders.

Ultimately, SMILE is defined not by the millions of transactions it processes, but by the lives it touches and dignity it restores. It is about the logistics managers across Indonesia mastering digital tools and making precise decisions, pharmacists finally able to deliver health services on time, and vulnerable communities assured that they received quality vaccines and medicines. By placing people—especially women—at the center, SMILE proves that true digital transformation is most powerful when technology meets humanity where it stands.

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Author: Virgi Fatmawati and Vidia Darmawi
Editor: Thomas Benmetan