Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and a Chinese technology giant announced on 15 April 2020 that they have plans to provide Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions and 5G technology to Siriraj Public Hospital in the fight against COVID-19.
The Dean at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital from Mahidol University stated that AI technology can help doctors analyse computed tomography (CT) quantification results of infection cases with high accuracy.
The technology can greatly help reduce the workload of Thai medical personnel working with patients contracted with COVID-19.
The 5G network can assist COVID-19 treatment hospitals to relieve network congestion and guarantee the quality of medical care service, according to the CEO of the Thailand arm of the tech giant.
It was noted that AI-assisted solution based on the firm’s cloud technology is co-developed by the firm and HY Medical, a Chinese enterprise that focuses on AI medical industry, using medical imaging through artificial intelligence.
The AI technology leverages the computer vision and medical image analysis to segment multiple pulmonary ground-glass opacities (GGOs) and lung consolidation and makes quantitative evaluations through CTs of patients’ lungs.
At least 20 hospitals in China have adopted the technology to handle COVID-19 cases.
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister stated that the Thai government have always attached great importance in enhancing the performance of Thai medical staff by implementing integrated digital technologies using 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), big data and cloud computing.
The ninja robots of Thailand’s hospitals
According to an earlier report by OpenGov Asia, Thai hospitals are deploying “ninja robots” to measure fevers and protect the health of overburdened medical workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak.
First built to monitor recovering stroke patients, the machines have been quickly repurposed to help fight the disease, which has so far killed nearly 9,000 people around the world.
They have helped staff at four hospitals in and around Bangkok to reduce their risk of infection by allowing doctors and nurses to speak to patients over a video link.
They can stand outside the room and communicate with patients inside through the robot, an engineer from Chulalongkorn University said.
Later models will be designed to bring food and medicine to patients and could also eventually be used to disinfect hospital wards.
His engineering team is racing to build more “ninjas” – known as such because of their matte black exterior — for another 10 hospitals around the country.
Thailand has more than 200 confirmed COVID-19 infections, including at least one death. More than 40 have recovered and been discharged from hospital.
Authorities recently ordered the closure of bars, massage parlours and entertainment venues to help prevent new cases.
New rules also require visitors entering the country to produce a health certificate.
Officials have so far stopped short of imposing the full lockdowns seen in other countries in a bid to contain damage to Thailand’s crucial tourism sector.
But the government’s reassurances that the pandemic is under control have not stopped bouts of panic buying in grocery stores.
Doctors are also urging Thais to stay home to curb the spread of the virus.