Thailand’s MoPH pushes for ehealth advancements with VMware solutions
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) is working with VMware, Inc., a US-based company specializing in cloud infrastructure and business mobility, to enable better health for the local population.
As part of its eHealth strategy to transform the delivery of healthcare services in Thailand, MoPH deployed two VMware virtualization platforms, vSphere and VMware Horizon, to consolidate its IT infrastructure for better management, performance and increased savings on operational expenditure.
As the agency leading the development of the country’s healthcare system, MoPH aims to leverage information and communication technology (ICT) to improve the quality and coordination of healthcare services, allowing better access and more affordable care for patients, providers and facilitators.
This strategy is closely aligned to that of the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the agency. It also supports the Thai government’s overall vision for “Digital Thailand,” which promotes the use of digital technology to create new opportunities for economic growth and improve the delivery of government services for its people.
“We are committed to innovating the way we deliver healthcare services across Thailand. As part of MoPH’s overall strategy to implement eHealth, we deployed VMware technology to improve our agility, efficiency and information security. Virtualization and business mobility solutions allow the industry – hospitals and professionals – to deliver always-on healthcare for Thailand,” said Assistant Professor Polawat Witoolkollachit, M.D., Director of Information and Communication Technology Centre, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health.
He also added that this is a crucial step in the nation’s digital transformation.
With more than 10,000 health IT units across Thailand’s 76 provinces, the ministry said there was a need to consolidate health IT infrastructure and enable the prompt exchange of information between MoPH and individual units located across the nation. A robust IT infrastructure would empower clinicians and administrators to optimize workflows, better manage and analyze patient data and enable mobile access to deliver faster and more consistent quality of healthcare for patients across the country,
VMwarev Sphere simplified MoPH’s data center operations by virtualizing and consolidating its servers and applications. The consolidation of information on virtual servers also improved coordination between central IT administrators and those at the provincial level, allowing MoPH to more accurately track, manage and deliver IT services and resources, resulting in cost savings and more efficient resource allocation.
To virtualize the desktop infrastructure and allow users access to information from any location, the ministry adopted VMware Horizon. The decision to implement a virtual desktop infrastructure reduced the time spent delivering IT support, addressed administrative overload and increased end-user efficiency and satisfaction.
Storing data on virtualized servers instead of end-user devices also reduced security risks, which is crucial when dealing with personal and sensitive data such as patient profiles and records.
“Healthcare around the world is becoming increasingly digital, as the industry recognizes that technology can be used to deliver better outcomes for patients. Virtualization will help institutions better manage their IT resources, enhance mobility for healthcare providers and address concerns around the security of patient data. VMware will continue to work with leading institutions such as MoPH to improve and lead transformation in digital health,” said Ekpawin Sukanan, sales director, VMware Thailand.
