Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has called on businesses to take thelead in e-health investment with its high potential as a large andsustainable market.

Speaking at a conference inHanoi on January 15, the leader described the application of informationand technology as a significant, long-term task for the health sector.

Investments can be used to build electronic queuesystems, clinical records, and conducting online consultations, he citedas examples.

To this end, the Deputy PM asked theMinistry of Health and the Ministry of Information and Communication toallow IT services provided by businesses to be utilised within thesector.

All medical examination and treatmentfacilities across the country must be connected and managed to ensuretotal access to health insurance cards and accurate health statusrecords, he added.

Last year, every hospital at thecentral level had clinical software applications, but only 68 percent ofprovincial level facilities and 61 percent of district level facilitieshad used the solution, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Health’sInformation and Technology Department Nguyen Hoang Phuong reported.

The Ministry of Health is piloting a project to upgrade softwaremanagement for six hospitals, the National Hospital of Paediatrics;Thanh Hoa Paediatrics Hospital; National Hospital of Obstetrics andGynaecology; National Hospital of Traditional Medicine; and GeneralHospitals of central Ha Tinh and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.

Establishing a software connection between clinics and insurancecompanies is central to improving the quality of medical services,reforming administrative formalities, and offering adequate healthinsurance.

The Ministry is also holding a number oftelemedicine activities, including online consultations, teleradiology,and health check-ups and treatment from a distance, he said.-VNA