Device monitoring studio

Torben Minko, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam’s (EuroCham) Medical Devices and Diagnostics Sector Committee

Healthcare is among the sectors said to be less impacted by the global health crisis in 2020. How did members of EuroCham’s Medical Devices and Diagnostics Sector Committee (MDDSC) play during the year?

Expectations for 2020 were high. However, in a world where normal business operations have been altered because of COVID-19, growth in the entire global economy is under threat. This affects medical device companies in the same way, globally and in Vietnam.

We highly value all proactive, transparent, and effective efforts made by the government in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. The actions have been successful and recognised internationally.

Since the first outbreak in Vietnam, MDDSC members have ensured a stable supply and import of sustainable, innovative and high-quality healthcare products to meet the demands of effectively preventing and fighting against the pandemic as well as treatment activities.

At that critical moment, we made a practical contribution, donating test kits to detect COVID-19 worth $25,000 to support the government.

We understand that medical device and diagnostic sectors are considered systemically important for the country’s healthcare infrastructure. In the coming time, those efforts will be continued and enhanced even further.

Domestic and foreign-invested enterprises here have looked into new business models to stand firm and develop. Have you seen any similar moves among MDDSC member companies?

Vietnam’s healthcare infrastructure has developed rapidly in recent years, thanks to the significant efforts of the Vietnamese authorities to improve public infrastructure across the country and to open the market to private healthcare providers.

The related double-digit growth of the medical devices and diagnostics market has stimulated multinational corporations to better serve the market through investments in a solid local network of partners.

This has involved the set-up of representative offices or, very often, the creation of local branches employing and training highly-qualified Vietnamese experts. It has also created opportunities for some of the multinationals to establish local production to serve the market with high-quality healthcare products.

The Vietnamese government, especially the Ministry of Health, has made a number of legal changes in a move to further facilitate business activities. Are they yet good enough for EuroCham members, and what other changes should Vietnam focus on in this regard?

Continuous improvements in regulations are the key to access innovations for the healthcare community, as well as an increase in pre-sales and post-sales service levels to healthcare providers. Decrees on medical device management, which have been largely aligned to international standards, are only some examples and significant milestones for the improvement of the regulatory landscape.

Consistent implementation will foster a more efficient and quality-oriented supply of medical devices and diagnostics solutions in Vietnam for the benefit of patients. A number of issues still need to be addressed in order to stay on the path to a state-of-the-art healthcare system, giving efficient access to innovative and high-quality healthcare to all citizens. We will continue working with regulators on improving the regulatory and legal framework. Our four cornerstones for 2021 will be digital transformation; remote care access for patients and looking at infrastructure, reimbursement, and capability building; policy framework for value-based procurement to provide top access to high-quality medical devices; and training for healthcare providers and professionals.

The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement has been in effect for around six months. Have you seen any movements among MDDSC members to tap into its benefits, and what other investment activity trends do you foresee?

We welcome the opportunities created by the agreement. It comes with further improvements of regulatory standards, exchanging information on customs requirements, investing in the modernisation of customs procedures, and ensuring transparency. New market access opportunities will be created to become long-term partners across Vietnam. Our mission is to engage with governments, regulators, healthcare providers, and many others in order to advocate good practice, promote high industry standards, and help develop policies which will shape the future of healthcare in Vietnam. This will enable timely access to sustainable, innovative, and high-quality healthcare for all.

The MDDSC, which consists of 26 global groups responsible for the majority of the medical device and diagnostic market, is happy to work with respective departments for the benefit of Vietnamese patients.

The Hanoitimes – The goal of periodic health check-ups at least once a year for all Hanoi’s residents has been included in the document of the municipal Party Congress.

Hanoians will get free health check-ups at least once a year, starting from 2021, the municipal Party Chief Vuong Dinh Hue said on February 25 while visiting Thanh Nhan Hospital on the occasion of Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (February 27).

Municipal Party Chief Vuong Dinh Hue inspects the Covid-19 prevention and control at Thanh Nhan Hospital in Hanoi. Photo: Thanh Hai

Hue said that the goal of periodic health check-ups at least once a year for all Hanoi’s residents has been included in the document of the municipal Party Congress.

“This is not easy, but the Hanoi Party Committee is determined to set goals and achieve them,” Hue said.

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Tran Thi Nhi Ha said that the city’s health sector has devised a free health check-up plan for all local residents, starting from early March.

The health sector will review each case, classify people by age and occupation to provide health examination.

“It is expected that Hanoi students will get medical check-ups at educational institutions while employees will receive health check at their industrial parks, factories or offices,” Ha said.

The medical centers in the districts will be responsible for providing health check-ups for local people. If people take medical examination and treatment at hospitals, their health will be monitored via software.

Since March 2017, Hanoi has provided a free colorectal cancer screening program for people from 40 years old who have health insurance to early detect the disease. So far, hundreds of thousands of people have been screened for free thanks to the above-mentioned program.

According to the Hanoi Statistical Office, by the end of 2020, the capital city’s population was over 8.2 million people, an increase of 2.3% compared to 2019. Among them, four million people (accounting for 49.5%) live in urban areas and 4.1 million people in rural areas (50.5%).

Rescuers search for survivors after a deadly landslide in Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia last month. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Jakarta (VNA) – At least five people died and about 70 others were reportedly missing following landslides at a gold mine in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province on February 24 afternoon.

Days of heavy downpours triggered the landslides in a tunnel of a traditional gold mine located in Buranga village of Parigi Mountong district, head of provincial Disaster Management Agency Datu Pamusu Tombolotutu said on February 25.

Five bodies have been recovered while the agency has received reports from members of families on 70 missing persons, he said, adding that many of them could be buried underground.

Search and rescue of the victims have been undertaken.

Soldiers, policemen, personnel from local search and rescue office and disaster agency along with one excavator and other devices have been deployed to the scene, the official said./.

E-records are helping to streamline processes for medical professionals

Dr. Nguyen Van Khoi, board chairman at Quang Khoi General Hospital, said that one of the hospital’s new business strategies to materialise its mission is to launch a mobile check-up service, which is the result of its 10-year development efforts.

“COVID-19 has had significant impacts on the economy and human life, thus affecting people’s access to healthcare services. With the new service, we hope to bring health services closer and make it more convenient to people,“ Khoi noted.

The hospital has focused investment in development of the mobile check-up service in recent years in an effort to meet growing demands for regular check-ups for workers and white-collar workers at offices and factories. This service helps ensure the quality of regular check-ups for employees of businesses, while saving travelling and waiting times for them.

Looking like a mobile clinic, the mobile check-up service vehicles of Quang Khoi General Hospital are fully equipped with advanced medical equipment and machines such as 4D ultrasound machine; digital x-ray machine; ear, nose, and throat endoscopes; electrocardiogram machines; and more, thus ensuring the best possible on-site healthcare service quality. These devices are connected directly with the management software on electronic health records to facilitate the research and management of health conditions of each individual.

Moreover, drawing rooms are equipped with air conditioners and ventilation to ensure fresh environment and best conditions for medical examiners. Especially, the results of health check-ups are available on mobile phones and electronic health records. In addition, the multidisciplinary team of the mobile check-up service vehicles have medical proficiency and are highly trained at home and internationally.

With all of these factors, the new service has received support from labourers, with many domestic and foreign-invested enterprises selecting it. They include companies such as PTSC Thanh Hoa, Nghi Son International Port Co., Ltd., Nghi Son Thermal Power JSC, Japan’s TOA, Hoa Sen Group (Nghe An office), Lilama 18.1, and many others.

Together with new services development, Quang Khoi General Hospital has also been paying due attention to IT application in management and operation.

The management software on electronic health records applied in the mobile check-up service is one of the hospital’s encouraging achievements in line with the health sector’s electronic health records development plan and development of smart hospitals.

With strong efforts on technology application, Quang Khoi has become the ninth hospital nationwide to receive Ministry of Health recognition as a successful performer of electronic health records. Quang Khoi was also honoured as the pioneer in digital transformation in the health sector at the E-Health Vietnam Summit 2020.

As part of Quang Khoi’s development plan, the hospital has strengthened international cooperation as a way to help improve professionalism for its health professionals, and approach new treatment methods and techniques, thus enabling it to satisfy new demands.

For instance, Quang Khoi made working visits to a number of hospitals in 2020, including FV Hospital and Hanh Phuc International Hospital, both of which won Joint Commission International accreditation – a global certification on hospital quality management.

Also last October, Quang Khoi signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Hanoi French Hospital, with regular check-ups and hospital fee guarantee being included to ensure diversified benefits for patients depending on their demands and financial capacity.

The cooperation is expected to bring about many more opportunities for Quang Khoi to further improve professionalism of its health professionals, while diversifying high-quality health services for customers, especially corporate ones. With strong investment and comprehensive and constant innovation, Quang Khoi General Hospital is winning more confidence from customers and partners, reaffirming its leading position among privately-run facilities in the central region.