Engaging Social Entrepreneurs to Improve Public Service Delivery

Representatives from KlinikGo engaged in Picture 16. a workshop with the Lebak Government, exploring the possibilities for collaboration between social enterprise with the government in health sector (November 23, 2022)

USAID ERAT recognizes the pivotal role of private sector engagement in improving public service delivery. Private companies possess the capacity to infuse innovation, provide essential resources, enforce accountability, and stimulate healthy competition. In line with this perspective, USAID ERAT supported the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucracy Reform (Kementerian Pendayagunaan Aparatur Negara dan Reformasi Birokrasi, KEMENPAN-RB) to hold Social Entrepreneurship for the Nation (Wirausaha untuk Negeri, WiNNER), a competition for social entrepreneurs to overcome governance problems and improving public services in six provinces in Indonesia.

KEMENPAN-RB regularly holds Public Service Innovation Competition (Kompetisi Inovasi Pelayanan Publik, KIPP) that targets government officials.  KEMENPAN-RB views WiNNER that specifically targets the private sector is a new approach and can complement KIPP. Their strong support for WiNNER was shown through the issuance of Ministerial Decree No. 139/2023 on social entrepreneurship competitions for improvement of public services, that elevates WiNNER to a status equivalent to the prominent KIPP.

The WiNNER competition was implemented in two batches. The first batch was implemented in February-March 2023 to select social entrepreneurs that are interested in improving public services in Banten and East Nusa Tenggara.  The second batch was held in May-June 2023 in North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, East Java, and South Sulawesi. In total, 228 and 196 social enterprises registered for each batch. Following a rigorous selection process, each province selected three finalists, who were then coached and facilitated to collaborate with their local governments and other key stakeholders. Two finalists of WiNNER, KlinikGo (Banten) and Alterra Academy (East Nusa Tenggara), illustrate how social entrepreneurs help improve public services.

KlinikGo is a healthcare social enterprise dedicated to revolutionizing the management of medical records by implementing electronic medical records (EMR) technology. KlinikGo was facilitated to connect and sign Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with a total of 80 private clinics and 10 public health centers (pusat kesehatan masyarakat, puskesmas) in Lebak, Banten. Healthcare facilities in Banten primarily relied on manual patient recording system, which has significant risks of data loss and inefficiency. The EMR technology KlinikGo introduced helps mitigate the risk with added benefit of easier patient record maintenance and integration with SatuSehat (One Health) dashboard. The dashboard, overseen by the Ministry of Health, acts as a centralized data source and an interactive health information platform, supporting monitoring and policy formulation. KlinikGo has also conducted training sessions and provided support to healthcare professionals to facilitate seamless data integration and maintain daily utilization of the EMR system. Each participating clinic pays a monthly fee of Rp300,000-Rp600,000 for the services, depending on the scale of the clinic. 

Alterra Academy is an innovative tech talent hub that strives to ensure accessibility to the tech industry for all. They offer immersive boot-camp-style training programs in information technology so people, regardless of their background, can transition into professional tech talent in just three months. Upon program completion, participants seamlessly connect with Alterra Academy’s private partners, facilitating them with companies that need tech talents. In the incubation stage, Alterra Academy managed to sign MOUs with three educational institutions in Kupang: Universitas Muhammadiyah Kupang, Trinity Academy, and SMK 5 Kupang. As Alterra Academy provides fee-based services to partner schools and universities, teachers will receive soft skills training to effectively adapt to innovative teaching methods aimed at building students’ character. Undergraduate students will have internship opportunities at Alterra Academy at private companies that fit their individual skills.

The remarkable results of WiNNER can also be attributed to the enthusiasm of local governments and other stakeholders providing opportunities for collaboration. These stories from WiNNER demonstrate the transformative potential of social entrepreneurship, innovation, and collaboration in addressing governance challenges and enhancing public services. USAID ERAT will continue to support KEMENPAN-RB in their efforts to deliver better and innovative public services to the people of Indonesia.

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