The event, part of the NIC opening ceremony and the Vietnam International Innovation Expo 2023 from October 28 to November 1, aims to provide a panoramic view of the health sector’s important aspects and introduce and connect potential partners in medical technology and digital transformation from hospitals, centres, research institutes, and medical universities in the region and the world.

In his remarks, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong said that health care is one of the priority sectors in the national digital transformation programme until 2025, with orientations towards 2030.

The pandemic has partly reflected the importance of innovation in the health sector to public health care and socio-economic recovery and development, the official noted. Photo: VNA

The digital transformation programme for the health sector covers four pillars, namely disease prevention and health care, medical examination and treatment, health administration, and organisation of online international specialised conferences.

Dong said the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a giant leap in digital transformation in the health sector. Technological applications have been deployed quickly to access people nationwide such as the health declaration apps of NCOVI and PC COVID, the contact tracing app of Bluezone, and telemedicine.

The pandemic has partly reflected the importance of innovation in the health sector to public health care and socio-economic recovery and development, the official noted.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said innovation in the health sector means the development and application of technological ideas and new processes and solutions to improve the quality and promote scientific advances in medicine. Innovation will resolve challenges and growing demand for health care, and it will take place in all steps from primary health care, disease prevention, examination and treatment to the production of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biologicals, and medical equipment.

Innovation in health care requires the coordination among medical experts, technologists, policy makers, and investors to make positive changes amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution that is taking place strongly, he went on.

Thuan voiced his hope that the forum would help connect domestic organisations and units with international technology developers and investors to boost the development of Vietnam’s health sector in the time ahead.