The Department of Medical Services (DMS) under Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and Huawei Technologies Thailand have agreed to establish a smart platform that will enable advanced medical treatments using digital technology.
In a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed yesterday, the DMS and Huawei will use 5G to launch smart healthcare initiatives involving the country’s National Cancer Institute and Rajavithi Hospital. Both organisations are under the DMS.
“We believe that, with advanced ICT equipment, our expertise, and the adoption of 5G technology, we can create equal access to quality and timely healthcare. During the ongoing pandemic where social distancing measures are adopted, the DMS and Huawei will jointly explore the benefits of 5G in the healthcare field under this MoU. The joint projects will ensure better health services for Thai people,” said Deputy Prime Minister and head of MoPH Anutin Charnvirakul.
Under the two-year agreement, Huawei will provide 5G technology to the two partner hospitals, enabling immediate upgrade of their existing infrastructure. It will also provide digital knowledge transfer, training and project supervision to hospital staff to enable them to operate efficiently and sustainably for the benefit of both medical staff and patients.
The technologies that will be deployed are to be used for telemedicine solutions such as remote monitoring and diagnosis, which will help to significantly reduce the risk of transmitting infections between doctors and patients. In addition, they will be used for emergency care services such as ambulance transportation, where useful information such as real-time location, patients' vital signs and video images are transmitted instantly, enabling rescue doctors to receive guidance for the best emergency care and the hospital team to prepare for treatment or surgery upon arrival.
The MoU comes in response to the DMS' mission to continuously improve its services and, with the support of Huawei, to introduce enhanced smart services that will apply integrated digital technologies using 5G infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), big data and cloud edge computing.
"This MoU is a milestone that will bring rapid advances to medical care in the country," said Dr. Somsak Akksilp, director general of the DMS. "It is an honour for the DMS and our carefully selected hospitals to partner with Huawei for a cutting-edge initiative that will raise the level and standards of our hospital services and improve operational efficiency."
Huawei remains committed to introducing digital technologies to create a strong, connected healthcare ecosystem that can make the experience better for patients, customers and medical staff, while improving efficiency and reducing costs.
"We proud to team up with the DMS, the National Cancer Institute and Rajavithi Hospital for this pioneer program that will help empower Thailand's healthcare system. This MoU will contribute to the MoPH's vision to transform more smart hospitals in the near future,” said Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Thailand.
He added: "During this era of digitalisation in the medical field, it is an honour to accompany Thailand as its healthcare sector connects the value of medical care with the patients' needs. Introducing smart innovations and infrastructure will improve the work of healthcare and medical professionals and the quality of life of the people in urban and rural areas.”
