Healthtech can expect a breakthrough in Vietnam
WVR - The National Digital Transformation Program (Decision 749) of the Government is aiming to turn Vietnam into a digital country by 2030, creating conditions for healthtech to develop here. Hereby is an interview given to the World and Vietnam Report by Senior Lecturer and HDR Coordinator, The Business School, RMIT University Vietnam.
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| Healthtech helps improve the quality of human health, for instance, through therapy apps/chatbots for people with depression, robots to support the elderly, smart health monitoring devices. (Photo: Unsplash) |
What is healthtech?
Healthtech covers diverse technologies in the medical/health care field.
These can be software and management systems (e.g. for managing medical records) in medical facilities, mobile apps for health consultation or telemedicine, artificial intelligence to diagnose diseases, wearable smart watches to monitor health, etc.
Virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR) technology in medical education, 3D printing to produce medical devices or human body parts, and nanomedicine also fall under healthtech.
In Vietnam, some hospitals have deployed apps for interaction with patients and appointment booking. Some have used robots in surgery, machine learning to prescribe medicine and monitor inventory, or blockchain to store test results. These are all real-life examples of healthtech.
Why apply healthtech?
Technology is created to support people. Mistakes in an important field such as medicine can have serious consequences, yet human errors cannot be completely avoided. Even if a mistake does not cause serious impact, it can create inconvenience or loss of time and money.
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| Dr Duy Dang-Pham, Senior Lecturer and HDR Coordinator, The Business School, RMIT University Vietnam. |
Therefore, healthtech offers technologies to assist doctors in diagnosis and treatment of patients. For example, they can use artificial intelligence to diagnose diseases based on X-ray images, or use surgical robots to perform techniques that require high accuracy.
Healthtech also helps improve the quality of human health, for instance, through therapy apps/chatbots for people with depression, robots to support the elderly, smart health monitoring devices, etc.
Operating a medical facility can be as complicated and expensive as operating a large business. Here, healthtech can supply information systems and software that help simplify and optimise processes, thereby reducing workload, improving the efficiency of inventory management, as well as increasing the capacity to communicate, exchange and store information.
Difficulties in applying healthtech
The main difficulties come from the legal framework, infrastructure, human resources, and customers (patients).
First, healthtech needs to adhere to strict guidelines and regulatory frameworks, particularly regarding the storage and transfer of critical patient data, as well as ethical issues. For instance, if a misdiagnosis is made based on artificial intelligence, who is to blame? Regulatory frameworks related to testing and commercialising technologies are also needed.
Healthtech cannot operate without appropriate infrastructure to support it. In addition to human talent, we need databases large and secure enough to store electronic medical records. Information processing speed must also be fast, especially when intelligent technologies such as AI or surgical robots are being used. We also need to set up proper standards for the storage and exchange of electronic medical record data.
Regarding human talent, healthtech calls for computer experts and programmers who are not only good at designing complex technology architectures and writing code, but also knowledgeable in the medical field and medical profession. Similarly, doctors must step out of their comfort zone and get acquainted with their intelligent machine partners. They need to be proficient in data entry and retrieval, be mindful of patient information security, and know how to interpret and apply recommendations made by AI in an appropriate manner.
Finally, we must consider the clients/patients. It would be ineffective for hospitals to provide smart online services if people in remote areas do not have the right tools (such as smartphones and 4G/5G networks) to access those services. There is also the issue of consumer awareness and habit when it comes to medical services. Not every age group is proficient at using technology. Trust in medical technology is also a big problem. Try to picture yourself as a patient, would you agree to be diagnosed and prescribed by an AI doctor, or have your surgery performed by a robotic doctor?
Opportunities for healthtech in Vietnam
So, is healthtech becoming a trend in Vietnam? My answer is yes.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when travelling and close human contact were difficult, online pharmacies had to operate at full capacity. Doctors used messaging apps like Zalo to provide remote consultations. In such a situation, healthtech was no longer an option but a requirement.
It is important to understand that healthtech will not necessarily replace doctors in the long term. But it will be a powerful assistant to improve our health quality, especially by bringing health services to those who need it in locations outside of big cities, thus solving the problem of overcrowded medical facilities in Vietnam.
Vietnam is a country with a large population, where the proportion of elderly people is projected to account for 16.53% by 2030. Lifestyle-related, non-communicable diseases such as obesity, tobacco addiction, alcohol addiction, and mental illnesses are gradually becoming inevitable. In addition, the Gen Z, who are tech-savvy and have both a higher interest and understanding of personal health, are also gradually dominating the market.
In Southeast Asia, it is estimated that by 2025, total healthcare spending could reach 740 billion USD. In 2019, the healthtech sector in Southeast Asia received a total of 266 million USD in funding.
I believe such context will help healthtech become a trend in Vietnam.
Concurrently, the National Digital Transformation Program (Decision 749) of the Government is aiming to turn Vietnam into a digital country by 2030, creating conditions for healthtech to develop here.
This includes encouraging and supporting technology 4.0 in general, through elements such as education and upskilling, technology infrastructure to close the digital divide, incentives, and support for high-tech businesses. The Ministry of Health is also piloting the initiative "A doctor for each citizen" and creating a legal framework for telemedicine and electronic medical record storage.
I hope that in the near future, the legal framework and technology infrastructure in Vietnam will be basically ready, a generation of tech-savvy doctors will form, private healthtech companies will cooperate effectively with the public sector, and the Gen Z will become truly interested in using healthtech services to take care of themselves and their families.
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