Siriraj Hospital has launched the “Siriraj World Class 5G Smart Hospital” project, which it hopes will transform the hospital into a role model for other public hospitals in Thailand.
The project was launched in a ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday. It hopes the model will to improve its medical services and overall efficiency.
Prasit Watanapa, dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine, which runs Siriraj Hospital, said the project — which is supported by Huawei Technologies and National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) — will see 5G, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) technology applied in various areas of medical practices.
The aim, Dr Prasit said, is to enhance the quality of medical services as well as the productivity of medical institutions, to provide people in remote areas with improved access to advanced healthcare services.
The Siriraj World Class 5G Smart Hospital project comprises nine sub-projects, namely a smart emergency medical service, smart emergency rooms, pathological diagnosis system with 5G and AI, an AI platform for non-communicable diseases, smart inventory management, a permission-based block chain for personal health records, smart logistics with a 5G self-driving car, multi-access edge computing and a hybrid cloud system.
“Siriraj Hospital will be the first hospital in Thailand to apply 5G technology including cloud AI solutions in medical services to boost its efficiency and improve people’s confidence in our capabilities,” said Dr Prasit.
Col Natee Sukonrat, vice-chairman of the NBTC, said the project began after the National 5G Committee gave its approval with the intention of improving Thailand’s public health services.
Once completed, the project will be expanded to include other hospitals nationwide, he said.
Han Zhiqiang, China ambassador to Thailand, said China is willing to go all out to help Thailand fight the pandemic.
“China is willing to work together with Thailand to address common challenges and drive economic development, and will continue to support Huawei and other Chinese companies in growing smart hospitals and bringing better lives for Thai and Chinese people.”
At the launch, Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Technologies (Thailand) introduced the Innovation Lab at the Srisavarindira Building, which it built as part of its 5G infrastructure project for Siriraj Hospital last year.
“This is a model for upgrading Thailand’s public health industry in the future and it will contribute to Siriraj’s transition to becoming a smart hospital, in line with Huawei’s mission to grow in Thailand and contribute to Thailand,” he said.
On Dec 2, Huawei and Siriraj Hospital signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a smart platform that will enhance the provision of medical services. Under this five-year agreement, Huawei will provide 5G technology to the faculty, enabling the immediate upgrade of the existing infrastructure.
