Promoting digital transformation in medical care

Most of public health care facilities in Khanh Hoa Province are implementing digital transformation in medical examination following the direction of the health sector to deliver better patient outcomes.

The Provincial Oncology Hospital implements digital transformation in medical care.

In 2022, the Ministry of Health issued a decision approving the plan to promote digital platforms, implement the National Digital Transformation Program to 2025, with vision to 2030. Accordingly, medical digital platforms include e-health records; vaccination management; remote medical examination and treatment consultation; commune health stations and some other platforms.

Implementing the Ministry of Health’s decision, the Medical Center of Dien Khanh District has been accelerating the application of information technology in medical examination and treatment. According to Dr. Pham Tan Duc, Director of Dien Khanh District Health Center, the district health sector has been implementing e-health records. Up to now, 67.1% of residents in the district have had e-health records on smartphones. "We are moving towards e-health records, scanning citizenship cards instead of paper health insurance cards together with non-cash payment of hospital fees. We will deploy digital signatures for e-health record if Social Security allows scanning of hospital fee payment codes on e-health records,” he said.

Treatment at Khanh Hoa Tuberculosis Lung Diseases Hospital.

Dien Khanh District General Hospital receives approximately 500 patients/ day. The digital transformation in hospital procedures has helped reduce waiting time and increase patient satisfaction.

Nguyen Kim Loan, Dien Dien Commune, Dien Khanh District said, “I have a chronic illness, so I come here for medical check-ups regularly. In recent years, the hospital has reduced paperwork and thus patients do not have to wait long to get examined.”

Khanh Hoa General Hospital receives around 1,500 patients a day. Therefore, the promotion of digital transformation is essential. Implementing the Ministry of Health’s digital transformation decision, the hospital has been applied new apps requiring only chip-based ID cards to access health insurance information, thereby reducing waiting time. 

Besides, the hospital has also built apps connected with the Social Insurance Agency. Accordingly, all medical services at the hospital are updated to the social insurance system and health management system of the Ministry of Health.

Second-Degree Specialist Doctor Phan Huu Chinh, Director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Hospital said, “Under the Ministry of Heath’s Plan till September 2023, all medical faculties must implement digital transformation. Therefore, the hospital has been upgrading the information technology infrastructures to meet the digital transformation requirements.

The Provincial Oncology Hospital is also gradually implementing the digital transformation roadmap in medical examination and treatment. Besides, non-cash payment is also part of the digital transformation at the hospital. Second-Degree Specialist Doctor Le Hong Quan, Director of the Provincial Oncology Hospital said: "The hospital is coordinating with banks to facilitate non-cash payment ".

The provincial health sector has been promoting digital transformation, gradually forming a health care system based on digital platforms. However, according to the recommendations of medical facilities in the province, the Ministry of Health needs to have a shared software used by all medical facilities to facilitate digital transformation and connections, saving resources, time and labor for health facilities and patients.

H.L
Translated by N.T