Lesson Learned from Tasikmalaya, One of the Most High-Disaster Risk Districts in West Java Province: Development of Health Crisis Risk Monitoring Information System in Primary Health Center (PHC) and District Health Office

Introduction: Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest disaster risk in the world, including the Tasikmalaya District in West Java Province. An information system to support the health office and public health centers (PHC) was developed to monitor preparedness, implement mitigation strategies, and enhance their capacity in the pre disaster phase. Methods: This study employs a research and development (R&D) methodology. It starts with a qualitative approach to data collection through interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with stakeholders. These stakeholders provided insights into the problems and user needs for the system design’s foundation. The system design method used is the Framework Application of System Technique (FAST) approach. Results: The data collection revealed several issues in system implementation in the field, including a lack of human resources, budgeting, infrastructure, and policy procedures. The system’s user needs include disaster event monitoring and mitigation functions, visualization of attractive information such as maps and graphs as a dashboard, and features integrated with the climatology agency for early warnings. The system is also designed to be multi-user and accessible from various locations and platforms. Based on these findings, a web-based information system called HaRMoniS (health risk crisis monitoring information system) was developed, with features and functions aligned with the expectations and needs of the users. Thirty-eight out of forty PHCs used this system to cover almost two million people in the Tasikmalaya District. Conclusion: With this system, PHC, the health office, as well as the community, can monitor disaster/health crisis risks, vulnerability levels, and capacity achievements in their area within the Tasikmalaya District. This allows the PHC and health offices, as the responsible parties for the health sector, to improve their preparedness, mitigation, and capacity-building efforts in the pre-disaster phase, thereby improving their readiness before a disaster occurs.