The Vietnamese government is now extending the implementation of its electronic health record system across the country.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who heads the National Committee for Digital Transformation, made this announcement at the start of this month, according to state media.
THE LARGER CONTEXT
Vietnam piloted the digitalisation of patient medical records in hospitals in 2019. Until last year, EHRs were issued in major hospitals across cities and provinces. In the next four years, the government will progressively roll out EHRs to all hospitals and health facilities in the country.
The latest announcement by the prime minister followed the recent pilot of the government-developed EHR platform in the capital city of Hanoi and the province of Thua Thien-Hue. The implementation of the FHIR-based platform was approved last year.
To date, over 32 million health records have been digitised, based on data from the Ministry of Public Security. About 14 million people have their EHRs integrated into the e-identification app, VNeID. The government seeks to save as much as $45 million in implementing the EHR system, doing away from paper records.
Accelerating the digital transformation of the health system, the prime minister said, aligns with the national resolution to proactively participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. One way to do this is through acquiring resources from international partners. Lately, the government has secured partnerships on digital health transformation with Microsoft and the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia.
Randy Mote
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