Siriraj 5G smart hospital 'a model' for the health sector

Siriraj Hospital's 5G Smart Hospital solution, which was jointly developed with Huawei Technologies (Thailand), was chosen to be a model for the global healthcare industry at an annual technology trade show which kicked off on Sunday.

The hospital was represented by the dean of Siriraj Hospital's medical school under Mahidol University, Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, MD, who spoke at an event titled "Huawei Day0 Forum: Lighting Up the Future" -- organised as part of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona, in Barcelona, Spain.

He said the team at Siriraj Hospital believes that innovation and technology will have a major impact on all sectors, including the healthcare sector, especially in a post-Covid pandemic setting.

"This belief led to our vision of creating a 5G Smart Hospital, which will improve Thailand's public health sector and increase the efficiency of the healthcare system," Prof Dr Prasit said. "[So] In December last year, we launched the first 5G Smart Hospital project in Asean."

Since the pandemic began, Siriraj Hospital and Huawei Thailand have partnered on various projects, including the development of AI-assisted diagnostic equipment and unmanned cars for the first time in Thailand.

He said the 5G Smart Hospital project will be a new model for modern medical facilities, with 5G providing the high-speed connections needed to ensure seamless transfer of patient data and operation of telemedicine equipment, which will contribute to patient care and operational efficiency.

The push to establish Siriraj Hospital as a smart hospital was accelerated by the advent of 5G and MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing), which allowed engineers to set up a private, secure 5G network, with the ability to connect almost everyone and everything using cloud technology and artificial intelligence, he said.

Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, MD, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, speaking at the 'Huawei Day0 Forum: Lighting Up the Future' summit at MWC Barcelona 2022 in Spain.

"Within a few years from now, the technology adopted at the Faculty of Medicine will be expanded to other projects ... transforming Siriraj Hospital into a role model for other public hospitals in Thailand. It will also act as a blueprint for all smart hospitals in Thailand going forward, [which in turn] will serve as a model for upgrading Thailand's public health industry in the future," he said.

The Siriraj 5G Smart Hospital project was built on collaboration between Siriraj Hospital, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), and Huawei Technologies (Thailand).

The National 5G Committee also approved the project to help improve medical services, the healthcare industry, and develop the first Smart Hospital in Thailand for the country to be ready for any new emerging technologies.

"Siriraj Hospital is working with Huawei to develop new innovations and create new value by utilising new digital technology. Our goal is to improve our services, increase our efficiency, and enhance Thailand's overall healthcare capabilities," he said.