Metfone, the Cambodian affiliate of Vietnam’s telecom group Viettel, signed a memorandum of understanding on June 29 with the Cambodian Ministry of Health on launching a series of digital healthcare services.

Metfone's support portal for COVID-19 fight 

An official health portal will be installed to provide Cambodians with consultation and disease updates.

Metfone will also offer internet infrastructure and teleconference meeting systems for 25 cities and provinces in the country, while setting up medical hotlines for the localities. It will also give short codes for humanitarian texting campaigns, which proved effective during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the deal, the two sides will work together in implementing a remote healthcare service and a number of digital solutions to equip people with knowledge about health protection and disease prevention and control.

Metfone CEO Phung Van Cuong told media that the company is proud to be capable of carrying out such a project, based on its experience of running similar ones in 10 other countries.

Or Vandine, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health, thanked Metfone for its contribution to the local medical sector in the fight against COVID-19 and other issues.

She hoped the company would continue its support and offer more solutions for the sector in the future.

Established in 2009, Metfone is now the largest telecom service provider in Cambodia, with a mobile market share of 42%, 97% coverage nationwide, 11,000 Base Transceiver Stations, and 23,000 km of optical cables.

It employs 3,000 workers and works with 30,000 collaborators and has so far donated about US$85 million to social welfare services.