Prioritize promoting data interoperability to support telemedicine.

In the coming period, the Ministry of Health will continue to prioritize improving institutions, standardizing professional practices, promoting data interoperability, and enhancing the capacity of healthcare professionals in the digital environment to promote telemedicine.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan emphasized this point at the second Vietnam-Korea Telemedicine Workshop held on December 11th in Hanoi, organized by the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health) in collaboration with the Korea International Healthcare Organization (KOFIH) and the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam (UNDP).

According to the Deputy Minister of Health, in Vietnam, telemedicine is no longer a temporary solution during the pandemic, but has become a strategic component in the organization of a modern healthcare system. From more than 1,000 telemedicine points established during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the telemedicine model continues to be maintained, expanded, and gradually deepened, serving tens of thousands of people each year, especially in remote areas and vulnerable groups.

Alongside practical implementation, Vietnam has gradually perfected the legal framework for this field. The Law on Medical Examination and Treatment of 2023, along with its guiding decrees and circulars, has officially recognized, regulated, and created a legal framework for telemedicine activities. This is an important step, demonstrating the State's determination to integrate technology to serve the people's right to healthcare in a fair and safe manner.

“Telemedicine is not just a technical solution, but a method of reorganizing healthcare services towards a patient-centered approach, bridging geographical distances, sharing specialized knowledge, and enhancing the capacity of healthcare facilities closest to the people. However, for telemedicine to develop sustainably, we cannot stop at just connecting. The biggest challenge today lies in standardizing data, ensuring information security, building digital trust, and designing a long-term operating mechanism,” Professor Tran Van Thuan pointed out.

The second Vietnam-Korea Telemedicine Workshop will create new value, not only for the specific project, but also for healthcare cooperation between the two countries and for the future of digital healthcare in Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Khoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, said that standardizing medical examination and treatment data at medical facilities is crucial for the application of electronic medical records to serve remote medical examination and treatment. Hospitals need to upgrade their hardware infrastructure and management processes to meet operational and information security standards at level 2 (currently) and level 3.

In particular, hospitals need to refer to appropriate specialized medical record templates and participate in providing feedback on the standards drafted and issued by the Ministry of Health. In addition, hospitals need to prepare resources to upgrade their electronic medical record software according to interoperability and terminology standards…

At the conference, delegates focused on discussing core, strategic issues in building a modern digital healthcare system: from data standardization, information security, and personal data protection, to the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare…/.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/uu-tien-thuc-day-lien-thong-du-lieu-phuc-vu-kham-chua-benh-tu-xa-post1082560.vnp