Vietnam is going to launch its first national e-health plans this year, the Ministry of Health has said.
Director of the Department of Medical Services Administration LuongNgoc Khue told the English-language daily Vietnam News that a nationaltelemedicine service and a synchronous electronic medical records systemwill be set up in four years' time under the plans.
Thetelemedicine service is awaiting approval from the Minister of Healthand the Prime Minister and the blueprints for the records system will becompleted soon, he said.
The telemedicine project willconnect all central hospitals and many provincial hospitals across thecountry using video conferencing technology.
A national website will also be set up so that everyone could access health information, wherever they are, said Khue.
The plan will need more than 90 billion VND (4.5 million USD) for itsfirst phase (2011-13), of which 60 percent is to come from the Statebudget and the other 40 percent from the hospitals themselves. In thesecond phase (2014-15), a partly subsidised tele-medical service will bekicked off, he said.
Meanwhile, the second project will bring into operation electronic health records and medical services administration by 2014.
Khue said health records will be standardised and shared online, whichwill make it easier for people to receive health checks and treatment indifferent hospitals and, at the same time, improve the quality ofrecord-based diagnosis and treatment.
The project willinvolve a portal on which electronic health records are stored withsystems providing public services online, including granting medicallicences to qualified organisations and individuals.
"It will make it more convenient for both health service providers and users," he said.
The project is expected to cost the Government 26 billion VND (1.3 million USD).
E-health is already popular in many countries around the world.
As for Vietnam , with 70 percent of the population living in ruralareas and 32 percent with access to internet services, many experts seegreat potential for e-health and long-distance medicine.
Khue said e-health has already started in Vietnam but remainsisolated with a lack of connections between healthcare centres.
The National Children's Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoiare the leaders in this area, according to the Health Ministry.
The National Children's Hospital, for instance, rolled out anelectronic health records and medical services administration system in2003 and has held telemedicine conferences with international partnersas well as local hospitals since 2005.
A lot of healthresearch resources have also been made available on the hospital'swebsite (www.nhp.org.vn), which is another form of e-health, accordingto a representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam, Jean Marc Olive.
Experts believe the Health Ministry's telemedicine project will be of great use.
Four-fifths of healthcare needs in Vietnam are from rural areaswhile provincial and communal health centres lack skilled humanresources, according to the Health Ministry.
This will also ease the overloaded central hospitals./.
Director of the Department of Medical Services Administration LuongNgoc Khue told the English-language daily Vietnam News that a nationaltelemedicine service and a synchronous electronic medical records systemwill be set up in four years' time under the plans.
Thetelemedicine service is awaiting approval from the Minister of Healthand the Prime Minister and the blueprints for the records system will becompleted soon, he said.
The telemedicine project willconnect all central hospitals and many provincial hospitals across thecountry using video conferencing technology.
A national website will also be set up so that everyone could access health information, wherever they are, said Khue.
The plan will need more than 90 billion VND (4.5 million USD) for itsfirst phase (2011-13), of which 60 percent is to come from the Statebudget and the other 40 percent from the hospitals themselves. In thesecond phase (2014-15), a partly subsidised tele-medical service will bekicked off, he said.
Meanwhile, the second project will bring into operation electronic health records and medical services administration by 2014.
Khue said health records will be standardised and shared online, whichwill make it easier for people to receive health checks and treatment indifferent hospitals and, at the same time, improve the quality ofrecord-based diagnosis and treatment.
The project willinvolve a portal on which electronic health records are stored withsystems providing public services online, including granting medicallicences to qualified organisations and individuals.
"It will make it more convenient for both health service providers and users," he said.
The project is expected to cost the Government 26 billion VND (1.3 million USD).
E-health is already popular in many countries around the world.
As for Vietnam , with 70 percent of the population living in ruralareas and 32 percent with access to internet services, many experts seegreat potential for e-health and long-distance medicine.
Khue said e-health has already started in Vietnam but remainsisolated with a lack of connections between healthcare centres.
The National Children's Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoiare the leaders in this area, according to the Health Ministry.
The National Children's Hospital, for instance, rolled out anelectronic health records and medical services administration system in2003 and has held telemedicine conferences with international partnersas well as local hospitals since 2005.
A lot of healthresearch resources have also been made available on the hospital'swebsite (www.nhp.org.vn), which is another form of e-health, accordingto a representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam, Jean Marc Olive.
Experts believe the Health Ministry's telemedicine project will be of great use.
Four-fifths of healthcare needs in Vietnam are from rural areaswhile provincial and communal health centres lack skilled humanresources, according to the Health Ministry.
This will also ease the overloaded central hospitals./.
