According to a recent report, Advanced Info Service (AIS), the country’s leading mobile operator, is providing a 5G network to support telemedicine solutions to Chulabhorn Hospital as part of a campaign to use the ultra-fast mobile broadband network to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
AIS announced the cooperation with Chulabhorn Royal Academy on 29 April 2020.
The company aims to turn Chulabhorn Hospital into the first Thai treatment hospital that integrates 5G tech into all dimensions of medical services.
AIS also disclosed every province nationwide has had 5G network coverage since 13 April, less than two months after commercial 5G services were kicked off on 21 Feb.
The Chief Executive of AIS stated that 5G use cases have popped up during that time, especially for telemedicine.
In March, AIS began its mission to use 5G network support in medical work for the fight against the pandemic.
The operator has distributed 18 5G-enabled robots that can assist medical personnel in providing care for coronavirus patients to 17 hospitals.
The company is accelerating the development and delivery of a total of 23 units to 22 hospitals by May. According to him, Chulabhorn Hospital is setting the stage to serve as the prototype for full medical care service with 5G technology.
The team is honoured to be trusted by the Chulabhorn Royal Academy to bring 5G technology to enhance care for patients on a full scale, as well as 5G total telemedicine solutions used for various tasks around the hospital.
The company supports the development of Thailand’s first artificial intelligence processing system on the 5G network for CT scans of lungs. The move is meant to enhance diagnoses, making them several times faster and more accurate.
Scan results could require as little as 30 seconds of wait time.
The distribution of 5G robots tending to patients also means medical personnel can avoid direct contact with the patients, reducing the chance of infection.
The company also supports applications helping patients communicate with doctors via teleconsulting, the firm’s CE noted. The technology can help screen patients who need services at hospitals and reduce the burden on medical personnel in accessing the public.
Using AI and 5G tech to combat COVID-19
OpenGov Asia recently reported that Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and a Chinese technology giant announced 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.