The health department in northern Quảng Ninh Province has deployed a tele-health network extending critical healthcare services to rural and remote communities and increase remote connections between doctors and patients. — VNS Photo

QUANG NINH (Biz Hub) — The health department in northern Quang Ninh Province has deployed a tele-health network extending critical healthcare services to rural and remote communities and increase remote connections between doctors and patients.

With the aid of Polycom video collaboration technology, including room-based and mobile solutions, the province's Department of Health provides consultations and follow-up care for patients hundreds of kilometres away, and improved training and collaboration for doctors in remote areas.

Since introducing the tele-health network, 24 hospitals and community health-care centres across the province now have real-time, face-to-face connectivity with doctors and medical staff, serving larger numbers of patients and ensuring ongoing training for staff productively.

"The tele-health network has completely changed our levels of service to communities in the province and reduced the workload pressures on our clinical staff," Vu Xuan Dien, director of the Department of Health, said.

"As an example, for diagnosis of more difficult medical cases, patients had to be transferred across large distances from regional hospitals to either the Bach Mai or Viet Duc central hospitals. What tele-health has done is provided us with that vital link to rapidly administer patient care and diagnose early symptoms," he said.

He added that where health directives and advisories had to be issued immediately, about 300 employees can now dial into a video conference so knowledge is rapidly transferred. This is especially crucial in managing natural disasters such as floods as well as outbreak of diseases. Information, procedures and protocols can be shared and communicated more efficiently and effectively to ensure the right medical support is provided to the affected areas.

In addition, the leadership team no longer has to travel long distances to join important meetings, saving at least 50 per cent on costs and three to four hours per meeting.

Video collaboration has also reduced the burden on central hospitals in treating referral and emergency patients. By linking medical experts in Viet Nam and overseas through video collaboration, and improving coordination among central, provincial and district hospitals, remote populations have access to specialist medical services like never before.

"In 2015, we held 32 online conference calls involving 7,000 staff in 19 meetings for work-in progress updates and guidelines on the management of outbreak control and prevention. That is about 300 people per meeting on average, and 13 online professional training sessions for over 1,000 staff," he said.

"In addition, operating rooms in 10 hospitals have also served for remote consultation, surgery and medical examination, and treatment to our health-care centres.  The Quang Ninh Department of Health is proud to have embarked on this tele-health program in Viet Nam to continue serving our communities and employees better," he said. — VNS