Medical professionals at Bangkok Christian Hospital try out smart health care equipment donated by Taiwan’s Changhua Christian Hospital Dec. 20 in Thailand. (Courtesy of CCH)

Changhua Christian Hospital in central Taiwan recently donated smart health care equipment to two Thai hospitals as part of government efforts to expand medical cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation under the New Southbound Policy.
 
Vital signs measurement stations and digital imaging devices for ear, nose and throat diagnoses were presented to Bangkok Christian Hospital Dec. 20 and Overbrook Hospital in Chiang Rai Dec. 22. The machines will be used to set up advanced training hubs for medical professionals.
 
According to CCH, the demonstration facilities will help improve patient care and service efficiency, while strengthening the hospitals’ preparedness in incorporating new medical innovations. The two sides are also working on establishing a protocol for the referral of complex cases to CCH.
 
The equipment donations are part of a public health cooperation and industry tie-up program developed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare under the NSP. This initiative is aimed at sharing local health care expertise and technology so as to bolster public well-being in South and Southeast Asia.
 
Under the MOHW project, six medical centers run by Taiwan hospitals have been launched in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, respectively. The Taiwan institutions are also responsible for expanding collaboration, fostering supply chain links, surveying regional regulations and market conditions, and training local health care professionals in their assigned country.
 
CCH has been tasked with managing the medical center and overseeing related measures in Thailand. As part of these efforts, it organized the Taiwan-Thailand Smart Healthcare Conference Aug. 28 in Bangkok, bringing together more than 200 medical experts from both sides to discuss the potential of related technological innovations.
 
A key plank in the government’s national development strategy, the NSP is enhancing the nation’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand. (KWS-E)