TrueBusiness partners Intel for a tech leap to transform Thai healthcare

True Corporation chief business officer Pichit Thanyodom told a press conference on Thursday that the initiative would use True's robust 5G network capabilities and Intel's advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to introduce seven new smart healthcare solutions to improve diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and patient data management in Thailand's hospitals and healthcare agencies. 

The collaboration would not only streamline the Thai public health system, making it more efficient and cost-effective, but also establish Thailand as a competitive medical hub in Southeast Asia, ultimately improving Thai people's quality of life and health sustainability, he said.

"TrueBusiness is accelerating the development of innovative services and incorporating AI to improve organisational capabilities. We aim to create tangible and practical solutions to help Thai businesses transition to the digital age by collaborating with global leaders such as Intel. This effort is consistent with True Corporation's vision of becoming more than just a network infrastructure provider, but also a technology leader," he stated.

Chantana Suwannawong, country manager of Intel Microelectronics (Thailand), expressed her excitement about this collaboration. She highlighted the deployment of Intel software solutions such as OpenVino, which will provide AI in healthcare solutions that support diagnosis and treatment times. 

She said Patient-Management-as-a-Service can broaden medical providers' support coverage by leveraging continuous and secure monitoring via 5G and edge analytics powered by Intel Edge AI on Intel Core Ultra. 

"This is part of Intel’s push to bring AI everywhere, particularly through its comprehensive portfolio of products and platforms that are designed to deploy AI in a secure, sustainable, scalable, and interoperable way to help improve lives," she noted. 

George Tai, Intel Asia Pacific's Health and Life Sciences Sales Lead, explained that the True5G network enables real-time data transmission, control, and command, allowing for the development of a variety of automated patient care systems. These innovations help to reduce the costs of medical equipment and treatment procedures, as well as the workload of medical personnel. 

Furthermore, he stated that smart healthcare solutions digitally record treatment data, allowing Edge AI to perform in-depth analysis and collaborate with medical diagnoses made by doctors and specialists. This improves the ability to provide timely and accurate patient care, particularly for complex and acute conditions, resulting in more effective treatment and better outcomes.

"Collaboration with True Corp will help us in scalability, accessibility and security in Thailand's healthcare market," he said. 

Additionally, Tai outlined the top six applications of AI in healthcare, which can offer clever solutions for medical data management, preventive measures, diagnosis and treatment, and rehabilitation.

The top six are: 

• Digital Patient Twin (PMaaS): Contactless monitoring of vital signs and patient position using sensors and AI. Alerts doctors to abnormalities for faster, safer care.
• Residential Care Management: Real-time monitoring of elderly patients using IoT devices and AI. Alerts caregivers to potential risks or health issues.
• Telemedicine and Tele ICU: Remote patient consultation and treatment using 5G network and medical equipment. Improves access to care for remote communities.
• Ophthalmology as a Service: AI-powered eye screening for conditions like macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. It will be faster, more accurate, and less invasive than traditional methods.
• Transforming PACS: AI-powered storage and analysis of medical images. Reduces IT infrastructure complexity and improves accessibility.
• Pathology as a Service: AI-powered analysis of tissue slides. Speeds up diagnosis, improves accuracy, and enables early disease detection.

Asst Prof Sithakom Phusanti, MD, assistant dean for policy and planning, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, welcomed True and Intel's strategic collaboration. 

As a doctor and researcher, he noted that the healthcare industry now requires advanced and innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to improve its operations and processes. 

"Having smart healthcare solutions is very important to us. It not only saves time and money for both doctors and patients, but it also improves accuracy and helps to alleviate workforce shortages," he explained. 

Pichit of True Corp believes that the collaboration will elevate Thailand's medical and healthcare industry. It will integrate and drive the functionality of smart healthcare solutions, encompassing diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, and medical data management. This will allow doctors and medical personnel across hospitals nationwide to deliver more accurate, timely, and high-quality medical services. 

"TrueBusiness and Intel aim to promote advanced scientific discoveries and improve the effectiveness of healthcare services through the ethical, safe, and transparent use of AI,” he said.

“Over hundreds of healthcare AI solutions from Intel's partners have already been implemented in other countries, demonstrating impressive success. We hope that some of these solutions will soon be implemented in Thai hospitals across the country this year. However, some of the solutions may take time because they require approval from the public health authority," he stated.