National Telecom (NT), Bitkub World Tech and the National Health Security Office (NHSO) have joined forces to develop a national health platform to level up the comprehensive public health services in the country, capitalising on digital tech.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the collaboration was signed by the three parties on Monday, paving the way for studying, testing and developing new technology features and data linkage for health services.
NT acting president Gp Capt Somsak Khaosuwan said the three parties are bringing together their potential and expertise to boost public health services.
The NHSO will provide information, policies and regulations related to the platform development while NT will provide telecoms and tech systems, such as internet network services, 4G and 5G network, cloud computing, cybersecurity and data centres.
Bitkub World Tech, a joint venture between cryptocurrency exchange operator Bitkub Capital Group Holdings Co and Thongtang Group, will support the development of digital health ID and pilot health platform, capitalising on blockchain tech.
Gp Capt Somsak said the national health platform is expected to be rolled out in a pilot project by the end of this year as datasets have to be integrated into the system, backed by the blockchain and cloud storage system.
The system will also support a pool of data involving migrant workers from neighbouring countries.
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the collaboration is meant to support equal access to healthcare services and pave the way for the development of e-consulting, e-prescription and telemedicine.
People would be facilitated through the use of the platform, including checking their right to receive medical treatment, insurance coverage, receiving compensation and appointments for treatment.
"The government has given importance to improving the quality of public health services and public health, especially the use of modern technology to link and integrate information on public health," said Mr Anutin.
It is vital that the public and private sectors work together to develop a service system that can create access to quality health services, he added.
Wichai Thongtang, chairman of Bitkub World Tech, said his public service company, powered by both Bitkub and Thongtang Group, has 1,600 employees with tech expertise that could propel the project.
Blockchain is a vital technology that could be applied to a database management system to verify identity in highly secure medical transactions.
The system comes with the strong protection of personal information of patients or data providers, Mr Wichai said.