Representatives of UNDP, Thừa Thiên Huế Province and the Japanese Consulate General in Đà Nẵng join the launch of the implementation of grassroots teleheath programme in Thừa Thiên Huế, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Cà Mau and the central highlands Đắk Lắk. — Photo courtesy of UNDP

THỪA THIÊN HUẾ — The Ministry of Health, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Japanese Consulate General in Đà Nẵng have launched a grassroots telehealth programme, using the software 'Doctor for Everyone' in Thừa Thiên Huế, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Cà Mau and Đắk Lắk provinces.

The digital application, which was jointly developed by UNDP and the Electronic Health Administration of the Ministry of Health in 2020, has been used in 537 grassroots health facilities in three provinces Hà Giang, Bắc Kạn and Lạng Sơn.

UNDP said in the implementation phase in Thừa Thiên Huế, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Cà Mau and Đắk Lắk, more than 2,000 healthcare staff at more than 800 grassroots health facilities will be trained and connected to provide telemedicine services. These five provinces have a combined population of around seven million people.

Based on a website platform and smartphone application, this solution will allow people in rural locations to access quality medical examination and treatment services in their district, thereby minimising overcrowding in provincial and city-level health facilities. Additionally, it enables district and commune healthcare personnel to consult with peers and enhance their professional skills.

The project is funded by the Government of Japan's 'COVID-19 Response for Strengthening Vaccine Access and Health System Capacity'. Their support includes information technology equipment, including a server at the provincial Departments of Health, 15 desktop computers, cameras, and loudspeakers for 15 commune health stations, and training on how to use and implement telehealth using the 'Doctor for Everyone' software.

Deputy Minister of Health Trần Văn Thuấn said the Department of Health Care Management would work with UNDP and the five Departments of Health to develop a detailed plan, allocate human resources and organise training courses to deploy this digital grassroots telehealth programme urgently.

"The United Nations Development Programme will continue to work with the Việt Nam Administration of Medical Services, allocating resources and time to urgently deploy effectively this grassroots telehealth programme across the five provinces as a model for the entire country," said the UNDP Resident Representative in Việt Nam, Ramla Khalidi.

She affirmed the UNDP's readiness to deepen further its strategic partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Provincial People's Committees of five provinces to contribute to a strengthened healthcare system at the grassroots level, using innovation and digital solutions.

"Under another project entitled Peace Village, ten storm-resilient commune health stations will be built and upgraded, and a telehealth function room will also be set up at each commune health station in the mountainous A Lưới district in Thừa Thiên Huế province," she added.

Chairman of the Thừa Thiên Huế Provincial People's Committee, Nguyễn Văn Phương said: "This programme will soon complete the roadmap for Digital Transformation of the health sector in particular and the National Digital Transformation Programme to 2025, with an orientation to 2030 of the Government in the province in general. It will contribute to the successful implementation of Resolution No. 54-NQ/TW dated December 10, 2019, of the Politburo on construction and development of Thừa Thiên Huế province to 2030, vision to 2045."

"The cooperation in the field of health and medicine is extremely significant in the relationship between Việt Nam and Japan. In particular, in the years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the two countries have actively cooperated and supported each other, focusing on COVID-19 prevention measures such as Japan's aid of seven million doses of vaccine to Việt Nam and a grant cooperation project to provide medical equipment. In contrast, from Việt Nam, the Vietnamese Government donated 2 million medical masks to Japan," said Shimonishi Kiyoshi, Deputy Consulate General of Japan in Đà Nẵng.

He added that establishing the grassroots telehealth programme across the five provinces of Việt Nam, including Thừa Thiên Huế Province, while completing the legal framework to implement these measures was extremely important. — VNS