As a trusted partner of innovative eye-care device manufacturers, how has DKSH been bringing innovations to the Vietnamese market?

DKSH offers a spectrum of services ranging from sourcing and logistics to sales, marketing, and after-sales support, and operates in healthcare, consumer goods, performance materials, and technology.

Mai Thi Viet Ha, business line manager of Ophthalmology Medical Devices and Business Unit Healthcare at DKSH Vietnam

In the medical equipment sector, DKSH has solidified its strategic partnerships with companies from Europe, America, Japan, and beyond. Leveraging our extensive network and nuanced understanding of diverse markets, particularly in the ophthalmology industry, we have cultivated a team of highly specialised professionals with a profound understanding of ophthalmology.

This is why we have been in a strategic collaboration with many manufacturers of eye-care devices, such as Alcon, for the past decade. Under this particular partnership, DKSH has been contributing to Alcon’s growth in the Vietnamese market and adding value to both stakeholders and the ophthalmology industry in this country.

In recent years, we have witnessed a surge in patients with cataracts in Vietnam. Additionally, there’s a noticeable uptick in the prevalence of eye conditions such as near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and refractive errors.

Alcon has had a significant presence in Vietnam for nearly three decades. We are proud that a significant number of Alcon’s cutting-edge technologies, widely utilised globally, have found their way here.

At DKSH, we take immense pride in our strategic partnership with Alcon, facilitating the introduction of their latest technologies and techniques into the Vietnamese ophthalmology industry, notably within the Saigon Eye Hospital system. The hospital has consistently placed trust in and utilised Alcon products throughout its history.

Presently, through DKSH, the hospital benefits from the most advanced devices and equipment, including the Phaco Centurion device, vitreo-retinal surgery equipment like Constellation, Revalia surgical microscopes, and more.

What are the most significant milestones in the collaboration of parties such as those mentioned?

Over the past decade of being Alcon’s strategic partner, DKSH has celebrated crucial milestones that we take immense pride in.

Firstly, a decade ago, we transitioned from older devices and equipment to the Infinity devices - the very devices initially adopted by the Saigon Eye Hospital. In recent years, we solidified a strategic cooperation with the hospital to upgrade the entire Infinity surgical device system to a more advanced generation - the Phaco Centurion device.

This upgrade aimed to better serve patients, surgeons, and technicians alike. This marked our first milestone, and the impact of this achievement resonates nationwide, with approximately 80 of these surgical devices now enhancing cataract surgeries for the Vietnamese people.

The second noteworthy milestone revolves around lenses. There are various types of lenses, and Vietnam stands among the first countries to utilise FDA-approved trifocal crystal lens products. Saigon Eye Hospital has been a significant user of these lens products, contributing to the improved vision and enhanced quality of life for millions of Vietnamese patients.

Could you share DKSH’s upcoming plans to bring more innovations to the eye-care industry?

To enrich people’s lives by providing healthcare for all, we are making a great effort to strengthen our collaboration with partners to bring the latest devices, including ophthalmology. Regarding the partnership with Alcon, we are set to introduce a new product in the form of an optical eyeball biometric measuring device, among one of the most advanced globally, in Vietnam in early 2024.

With this new device, we aim to provide Vietnamese doctors and patients with the most accurate measurements for placing lenses in the eye, ensuring optimal vision.

Additionally, Alcon has various systems like its Alcon Vision Suite, which is a series of devices offering comprehensive solutions for doctors and technicians from the pre-operative stage to the post-operative stage. We hope to bring this system back to Vietnam in 2024.