The upcoming 5G adoption, faster fixed broadband connections, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and high-quality video conferencing systems are likely to be instrumental drivers in making Chiang Mai a medical hub in the region in three years.
Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Medicine has spent 30 million baht to proceed with a "smart connected healthcare" campaign as part of efforts to become an international digital medical school.
One of the campaign's features is the Medical Technology Education Centre (MTEC), which provides technological support for its medical education programme. Another is a centre for bioinformatics in which AI technology is used to filter high-risk patients and make diagnoses.
Another building will cater to international medical tourism.
Hub aspirations
Rattasit Sukhahuta, head of Chiang Mai University's computer science department, said the government has earmarked a budget of 1.2 billion baht to turn Chiang Mai into a medical hub and wellness centre in the North, improving locals' quality of life and supporting medical tourism in 2020-23.
"Embracing advanced technologies, investing in new medical devices and providing facilities in medical schools and provincial hospitals is the key to success," Mr Rattasit said.
Being service-minded is also important for medical personnel, he said.
Bannakij Lojanapiwat, dean of the university's Faculty of Medicine, said the MTEC building, equipped with Cisco technology systems, facilitates tele-learning/education, medical services and tele-consulting, as well as R&D.
Live surgery
With the advanced video conferencing system, live surgery can be broadcast from the operating room and watched real-time by medical students in other facilities. The students will learn how to handle medical devices, allowing them to enhance their learning.
The technology also enables students to observe some rare and complex cases in operating rooms that permit a limited number of students inside.
"With the technology, they can share and save records that can be studied repeatedly," Dr Bannakij said.
Before airing live surgeries, patients' consent needs to be sought first and their names must not be revealed.
Moreover, patients can consult medical specialists through a high-performance video call system, bypassing the need to go to hospitals, thus saving time and money, Dr Bannakij said.
Patients can log in to the Webex meetings app via their mobile devices or URLs to have a chat with nurses. Some remote hospitals can use tele-health tech to seek consultations with specialists at MTEC.
"If there is 5G access, there will be more signal coverage and high-speed connections," Dr Bannakij said.
The video conferencing system can be used for connected universities to to teach live online. This will help increase the number of physician graduates to 250 every year, from fewer than 200 at present.
"Medical teaching through high-definition display emulates the experience of studying in classrooms," Dr Bannakij said.
Data-driven services
The university is in the process of using AI to filter patients by looking at their X-ray records to ease the workload for staff.
Recorded data will also help management acknowledge the number of patients using services in each area in the facility and the range of time they spend with physicians, Dr Bannakij said.
Vatsun Thirapatarapong, managing director for Thailand and Indochina at Cisco, said several countries have successfully applied technology and innovation to medical services.
In Thailand, the Public Health Ministry is pushing ahead with an "eHealth" strategy designed to provide digital healthcare services nationwide to ensure equal access among members of the public.
"Technology helps bring equality in education and healthcare amid the country's pressing challenges from the ageing society, shortage of medical specialists and rising expectations in the digital era," Mr Vatsun said.
He said technologies play a key role in healthcare transformation, particularly in connected health or tele-health. Tools include AI, the Internet of Things, augmented reality and virtual reality.
The transformation is meant to personalise the patient experience.
Deloitte's 2019 global healthcare outlook indicates that 80% of consumers are more likely to make purchases from companies that provide them with personalised experiences.
Technology can enhance remote communication between physicians and patients.
"The upcoming 5G network will help enhance more efficient medical services, such as allowing hospitals to monitor real-time critical patients who are on the way to hospitals," Mr Vatsun said. "In the future, remote surgeries might even get off the ground."