HCM CITY — Electronic medical records for all Vietnamese citizens will be adopted nationwide next month, according to the Ministry of Health.

Speaking at a seminar on electronic medical records held on June 17 in HCM City, Trần Quý Tường, director of the ministry’s Information Technology Department, said the department was assigned to develop electronic medical software at the end of last year.

The software uses data on households who participate in the national health insurance scheme, with data provided by Việt Nam Social Security.

To date, software which includes information about a patient’s health history has been adopted at health facilities in 31 cities and provinces, Tường said.

Personal medical records will be secured by the health departments and IT enterprises which provide and manage the software, he said.

The department is working with Việt Nam Social Security to develop codes and regulations as well as user accounts.

Currently, there are many IT enterprises providing electronic medical record software, but there is no connection between the various software.

Regulations on using and updating electronic medical records are in the development process.

Nguyễn Trường Sơn, deputy minister of health, said the adoption of electronic medical records helped improve population healthcare management.

Every citizen will have a lifetime health record which can be used by doctors to help make timely and appropriate recommendations about the patient’s care, Sơn said.

The health sector is developing smart healthcare system based on three categories: smart management, smart hospital, and smart medical record management, he said.

The ministry targets coverage of electronic medical records, reaching 90 per cent of population by 2025. —VNS