Doctors perform a laparoscopic surgery for acute appendicitis at the Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre on September 6. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Despite its remote location 80km offshore, Côn Đảo’s medical workers have made remarkable strides in digital transformation, significantly improving health care for both residents and tourists.

Once infamous for its war prison, Côn Đảo is now a special zone under HCM City’s jurisdiction, embracing modern health technology to overcome geographic challenges.

Since 2016, the Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre has implemented a Hospital Information System (HIS) that links its medical database with the Ministry of Health and Việt Nam Social Security. This integration streamlines insurance verification and payment for treatment costs.

Residents Nguyễn Văn Dự and Nguyễn Hùng Cường told Voice of Vietnam that previously, many ill patients travelled to the mainland for care, often lacking confidence in the island’s medical services and requesting transfers to mainland hospitals.

This changed around six months ago when the new medical centre began operations. Support from the HCM City Department of Health has boosted the facility with rotating specialist doctors, a developed emergency and resuscitation system, telemedicine services, AI-powered diagnostic imaging and digital health record management.

Today, the centre is equipped with computers, printers and barcode scanners for routine examinations and treatments, fully supported by the HIS — marking a major leap forward for health care on Côn Đảo.

A surgeon at the Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre Dr Lê Cao Khải, said: “The facility can provide emergency response to most common illnesses.

“For more difficult cases that require multi-specialty intervention, we use the telemedicine system to consult with doctors at higher-level hospitals, helping people save the costs from travelling to the mainland.”

The strategy for digital transformation at Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre to 2030 is to apply technology in most of its activities and services, forming smart healthcare in three aspects – smart disease prevention, smart medical examination and treatment and smart health administration.

The goal is to have 90 per cent of work records digitally processed, in addition to the roll-out of e-prescriptions and e-signatures to save time for medical staff and patients. The facility also plans to upgrade its IT infrastructure to handle electronic medical records.

The centre aims for a 90 per cent satisfaction rate from people and businesses towards its handling of administrative procedures.

Dr Nguyễn Sơn An from the Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre said: “One of the highlights of the (digital transformation) programme is technology application in community health management, creating a health care database for all people on the island.

“Digital transformation has made medical examination and treatment easier for doctors. For example, they can view the specific health status of each patient and personalise the treatment accordingly.”

Digital transformation also facilitates electronic medical records to reduce cumbersome procedures and paper or handwritten documents, minimising errors during treatment, he said.

The medical centre’s director Dr Lê Công Thọ explained that previously, technology application here was not effective due to the lack of electricity from the national grid. The situation is expected to improve as Côn Đảo has had access to power from the national grid since September 4.

In addition to telemedicine, the Côn Đảo Military-Civilian Medical Centre is also focusing on professional training for local health workers to provide better on-site treatment.

In the future, the centre aims to become a general hospital – a strategy that is expected to ensure the local capacity for medical examination and treatment, emergency care and community health management in the remote island area. — VNS