Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Telehealth platform, developed by Viettel, will save more lives, reduce overload at upper-level hospitals. 

From left to right: Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung,
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long
at the ceremony launch the Telehealth platform and debut
the National Technology Center for COVID-19 Prevention and Control,
Ha Noi, August 8, 2021. Photo: VGP

Pham made the above statement while addressing a ceremony to launch the Telehealth platform and debut the National Technology Center for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on August 8.

The platform now connects 30 central hospitals with all 1,400 district-level hospitals, including those located in mountainous and island areas.

The platform enables remote medical consultation, remote surgery consultation, and remote training, which is of significant importance in the current COVID-19 pandemic time as it allow doctors at district-levels to directly consult with top experts in treating the sickest COVID-19 patients.

According to Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung, telehealth plays a vital role in the context that thousands of new COVID-19 cases are confirmed daily.

Five days ago, more than 300 districts, most of them are in disadvantaged districts, were not connected to the platform, said Nguyen.

After just 2.5 days, all the aforesaid hospitals are now able to connect to the platform, the minister added.

Viet Nam is struggling with the fourth COVID-19 wave which began in late April, posing great pressure on its healthcare system.

As of 6:00 am on August 9, the country recorded a total of 215,560 cases, including 211,630 domestic infections documented in 62 cities and provinces over the period. The death toll rose quickly to 3,379 as of late Sunday./.