A Legacy of Care

For the Oen sisters, their whirlwind journey into Indonesia’s nascent veterinary field may have found its footing in their shared love of animals, but it was fueled by a family legacy that continues to inspire their commitment to revolutionizing pet care. 

Mikaela (Class of 2011), Kristanya (Class of 2013), and Theofila (Class of 2018) are the founders of MEDIVET, a fast-growing network of veterinary hospitals and clinics set on giving pets better, healthier lives by improving their quality of care through top-notch facilities and the latest medical approaches. Their first hospital, located in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, opened in September 2023. This year, they celebrate the launch of their sixth location — their largest yet — in the form of a state-of-the-art hospital in Bintaro, just on the outskirts of the capital.

While none of the sisters are veterinarians by training, their eyes were opened to the need for quality pet care during the height of the pandemic.

“A lot of our dogs had a lot of health problems, chronic conditions, so we kept going back and forth to the vet. This is something we’ve dealt with our whole lives, but it was really pronounced at this time,” Kristanya recalls. “We found that there were a lot of things that weren't up to what we wanted the standards for our pets to be.”

As longtime caregivers of four-legged loved ones, they felt they understood the “problems and pain points of the vet industry here as clients.” All three sisters had experienced firsthand the elevated, international standards of pet care demanded by veterinary professionals and pet owners abroad. Theofila spent her high school and college years in the United States, completing a degree in urban planning and ecology in New York. Kristanya, meanwhile, studied computer science and music in San Diego, where Mikaela also earned her degree in cognitive science before pursuing an MBA that would take her to Singapore and South Korea.

“So, we’ve seen the international standards. There’s so much more that [the local industry] can achieve and strive toward. We believed we could [provide] something, make something better, so we started exploring the idea of whether that was possible in 2021,” Kirstanya explains.

They had the resources and “that vision”, Theofila adds, and while it seemed like a daunting undertaking not without challenges, they decided to go for it — and “go big”.

Perhaps most valuable of all, they had the support, guidance, and inspiration of their own family in medicine, service, and innovation. Their family founded Mitra Keluarga, one of Indonesia’s most respected private hospital networks, and it was their grandmother in particular who left a lasting impression.

“She was one of the first women doctors in Indonesia,” Mikaela shares proudly. “She was always very progressive. From the very beginning, when she was building her team for Mitra Keluarga, she was always looking for high-potential women and specialists — because specialist doctors, especially female specialists, were very rare and they didn’t get enough support. So, that was always the vision of my grandma, and then my dad.”

Kristanya adds: “I think those values and virtues have translated to MEDIVET, too. We’re pioneering in this field that’s still very new but high-potential.” 

Their grandmother sadly passed away in early 2025, but not before seeing their vision not just come to life, but begin to thrive.

“She was over 90 but would ask, ‘How is MEDIVET doing? What kind of patients do you serve? How are you developing your doctors? Wow, orthopedic surgery for dogs!’” Mikaela recalls with a smile. “And she was always interested in our patients. [She believed] medicine is medicine; we just have different kinds of patients.”

It was their grandmother who emphasized the importance of service and customer care.

“These were always at the top of her mind. For her, it wasn’t enough to just medically get it right, but the communication, how you explain things to the patient, that was always really important for her.”

Their grandparents also helped the sisters navigate the complex dynamic of running a business as siblings. Having grown up in a family where work and home life naturally overlapped, they were taught early on how to set boundaries, communicate openly, and prioritize relationships — lessons that continue to guide them today.

“I think from a young age, we've had a very unique family experience where family business has always been part of our lives — we can't compartmentalize that,” Theofila shares. “But our grandparents had a very good sense of establishing those boundaries and clear communication from very early on. That clear transparency helped us also understand each other, not only as coworkers and colleagues but also as sisters.”

From the opening of their flagship hospital in Kebayoran Baru in 2023, MEDIVET’s growth has been swift and fast-paced. A clinic in Puri soon followed, extending their reach to West Jakarta, then another in Kelapa Gading to serve pet owners in North Jakarta. They later acquired the well-established Groovy Vetcare Clinic on Jl. Haji Nawi and opened a dedicated Cat Clinic in Pondok Indah. Most recently, they celebrated the launch of their largest and most advanced facility yet: a full-service hospital in Bintaro.

In addition to providing comprehensive medical services for pets, the sisters are also focused on strengthening the veterinary field through MEDIVET, offering regular workshops and training opportunities for veterinarians and nurses to help elevate their quality of care.

“We will continue to expand on the veterinary training that we provide in-house. We now work together with external speakers as well, so focusing on improving the quality and the standards of our doctors is super important. That's always the first priority for us,” Mikeala says.

This same level of dedication inspired one of their most distinctive endeavors: a Cat Clinic in Pondok Indah designed exclusively for feline patients. Here, cat parents can feel more at ease knowing their furbabies won’t experience the added anxiety of encountering a dog in the cat-only lobby. Traveling further into the three-story clinic, all examination and inpatient rooms are specified to support various procedures specific to feline care.

“We follow these standards called the International Cat Clinic Standards, [and] we’re aiming to get certified very soon. We aim to be one of the first in Indonesia to be certified,” Kristanya explains. “Additionally, our doctors here are much more focused on feline care, so they're able to hone their skills specifically to the field of feline medicine, whether that's surgery, maternity, or infectious care.”  

To support this, the clinic’s third floor is reserved for infectious cases, providing a safe, contained environment that protects all patients.

Reflecting on their shared journey of inspiring innovations and enhancing veterinary care in Indonesia, all three sisters see clear connections to their time at JIS. Each agreed that their respective experiences instilled in them the confidence to take on new challenges and try new things; the ability to collaborate with people from different backgrounds; and the resilience to persevere despite obstacles and setbacks.

Mikaela has particularly fond memories of engaging in a wide breadth of extracurricular activities offered at JIS, thanking them for nurturing the confidence and leadership and decision-making skills that are crucial in her role today at MEDIVET.

“From being active in sports, service, and other activities, especially at JIS, where there are so many resources and choices you can make, you learn not to give up. You might be bad at something at first, it might hurt, but you just keep going — and that kind of mentality is so applicable in all areas of life, especially at work,” Mikeala says. “If you don’t believe in yourself, who’s going to believe in you? Especially if you want to be an entrepreneur, if you want to build a business, you need that conviction. And even if you make mistakes, you still have to keep going.”

Nodding in agreement, Theofila adds that the diverse learning opportunities at JIS, both in and outside of the classroom, ensured she never felt “limited to a certain box”. Instead, she was free to explore and become a multidimensional individual.

“I think that mindset really carries through and is internalized in a space like JIS, where everyone is encouraged to explore different facets of themselves,” she says. “When you allow yourself to branch out, it just opens a whole new world and opens new horizons, and you can connect with more people.”

That same spirit of exploration, conviction, and following your passion has led them to combine their unique strengths, helping pets and their owners, and raising the standard of veterinary care in Indonesia — all while honoring their family legacy of innovation and spearheading growth.