Siriraj Hospital of Mahindol University, in collaboration with The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC ) and Huawei, has unveiled the first 5G-based smart hospital in Thailand, touted to be the largest in the ASEAN region.
With the smart hospitals model, Thailand expects people in remote areas will have better opportunities to access advanced health care services.
Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha welcomed the new medical facility saying it will help minimise processes for hospital staff, lower overall risk, and enhance the effectiveness and efficacy of healthcare.
“We understand the importance of technology, and this is an important first step in the utilisation of digital technologies and 5G in the medical field. We hope the project will act as a blueprint for all smart hospitals in Thailand going forward,” he said in a statement.
Siriraj Hospital and Huawei signed a five-year agreement in December 2020 to accelerate the use of 5G and cloud technologies. Currently, Siriraj Hospital has started piloting 5G portable medical boxes, 5G unmanned vehicles, 5G medical carts, and 5G smart hospital beds.
Under the 5G Smart Hospital project, Siriraj Hospital will be working with Huawei on nine sub-projects. These include Smart Emergency Medical Services; Smart Emergency Room; Pathological diagnosis system with 5G and artificial intelligence; 5G AI Platform for Non-Communicable Diseases; Smart Inventory Management; Permission-based blockchain for personal health record; Smart Logistic with 5G Self-Driving car; Multi-access Edge computing (MEC); and, Hybrid Cloud
Furthermore, both companies will establish a Joint Innovation Lab to incubate over 30 innovative 5G applications that will be promoted nationwide from 2022.
China’s ambassador to Thailand Han Zhiqiang said China will leverage technology to help Thailand fight the pandemic. "China and Thailand's 5G cooperation has become a model in the region, helping Thailand become the first country in Southeast Asia to launch 5G commercial use.”
Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Thailand, said, "This signifies a model for upgrading Thailand's public health industry in the future and contributes to Siriraj's transition to becoming a smart hospital.”
