Introduction of Regional Health Information Network in Vietnam

Fujitsu, together with the Fujitsu Research Institute and VNPT-FUJITSU Telecommunication System J.S.C., a Fujitsu group company in Vietnam, recently examined the feasibility of introducing regional health information networks in Vietnam to secure the endorsement of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Vietnam urgently needs to improve regional healthcare services to address the severe shortage of medical resources. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health is greatly interested in deploying a regional health information network to enable medical resources to be deployed more efficiently by sharing data among medical institutions. Vietnamese medical facilities are equipped with an IT infrastructure sufficiently reliable for providing the basis of a regional health information network. This paper describes the need for an information network in Vietnam and presents an overview of the regional health information network and the steps needed for introducing such a network.