Developing Telemedicine: International Cooperation for Public Health

On June 26, the Ministry of Health coordinated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to organize the Vietnam-Korea Workshop on medical examination and treatment, with the theme of developing telemedicine. Professor, Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health attended and spoke at the workshop.

The workshop was attended by Ms. Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam; Mr. Cheon Joo Hwan, Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency for Health (KOFIH); Ms. Kyungnam Ruy, Chief Representative of the Korea International Health Care Organization, and representatives of Departments, Offices, and units under the Ministry of Health, international organizations and development partners.

At the workshop, Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan emphasized: "Telemedicine is a typical manifestation of modern medicine, where technology is applied to serve people, ensuring fairness and expanding access to health care for all regions, especially disadvantaged areas."

Since 2020, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health has urgently implemented the Remote Medical Examination and Treatment Project, connecting more than 1,000 points nationwide. This model has not only helped save the lives of thousands of patients, including foreigners, but has also continued to expand to serve tens of thousands of people each year.

Along with practical implementation, the Ministry of Health has made efforts to perfect the legal framework to develop telemedicine systematically and sustainably. Legal documents such as the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment amended in 2023, Decree 96/2023/ND-CP and Circular 30/2023/TT-BYT have formed a relatively complete legal foundation for this field.

In particular, since 2020, the remote medical examination and treatment model through the "Doctor for Every Family" software supported by UNDP has been effectively implemented in 8 provinces. Following this success, the Ministry of Health is currently coordinating with KOFIH and UNDP to implement the Telemedicine Project in 10 mountainous, remote and isolated provinces - places with many difficulties in accessing health services.

Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan affirmed: "This is a practical, humane and meaningful international cooperation model, contributing to concretizing the policy of 'no one is left behind' in community health care."

The Deputy Minister of Health added that the workshop took place in a special context when the Party and State are strongly promoting digital transformation, institutional improvement and deep international integration.

Recent important resolutions are the guiding principles for the health sector, including Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW (December 22, 2024) identifying science , technology and digital transformation as strategic breakthroughs, creating the foundation for building a national digital health ecosystem, with telemedicine as a key component; Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW (January 24, 2025) promoting the role of international cooperation in enhancing endogenous capacity.

The project between the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, UNDP and KOFIH is a clear demonstration of the connection between global knowledge and practical needs of the community; Resolution No. 66-NQ/TW on innovation in law making and enforcement also opens up opportunities to promote institutions in technology-sensitive areas such as digital health, remote medical examination and treatment, health data security and cashless payments.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan requested units under the Ministry of Health and 10 local Health Departments to continue to coordinate closely to ensure the successful completion of the project's objectives; at the same time, summarize practices, propose appropriate policies, techniques and financial mechanisms to integrate the telemedicine model into the regular health system in a sustainable manner.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Cheon Joo Hwan, KOFIH affirmed: "Telemedicine is not only a technical solution, but also a tool to promote health equity." This project integrates information technology into health services, contributing to narrowing the access gap between population groups. Samsung Kangbuk Hospital has accompanied the project from the survey, training to sharing practical experiences.

On the UNDP side, Ms. Ramla Khalidi pledged to continue supporting the Ministry of Health and partners to ensure that all people, especially vulnerable groups, can access quality, equitable and comprehensive health services...

At the workshop, experts also presented the operating and payment mechanisms for telemedicine services in Korea and some other countries, while Vietnamese representatives introduced details about the scope of services, financial structure and future digitalization orientation./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/phat-trien-y-te-tu-xa-hop-tac-quoc-te-vi-suc-khoe-cong-dong-post1046546.vnp