This is an important step confirming the benefits for the society from the research on hi-technologies of Viettel, to enhance the quality of its products.

Precision of data

The Core Technology Center is the first unit of the Military Industry-Telecoms Group Viettel to master and apply the blockchain technology to the management of health records of citizens nationwide. The center has chosen sample health records for test, as the application of the technology to this area is socially-significant. Besides, the scale of the project is big enough for members of the research team to test the “applicability” of the technology while evaluating their capabilities of control over the technology. At the same time, via practical application, the research team will find out important issues and pinpoint shortcomings to better Viettel’s application of the technology to other realms in the future.

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The old personal health record management software saves storage resources. However, in case of cyber-attacks or loss of data, the system will completely collapse, impossible to be restored. What’s more, the problem of fake information may also occur. Meanwhile, the blockchain technology facilitates interaction and coordination among patients, medical facilities, hospitals, chemists’, and related departments and sectors. Especially, the technology helps increase confidence among related parties thanks to equality and transparency. Moreover, by developing the blockchain technology, the Core Technology Center may shift the database to the system using the blockchain technology, helping reduce the risk of data loss. At present, the center is building and packaging the technology in finished products.

The blockchain technology ensures the precision of data based on the consensus of all related parties. Thanks to blockchain and big-data analysis, precise diagnosis and predictions can be made. After the application of blockchain to personal health record management, the center will expand the research and application of this technology to other areas and products of Viettel, such as banking and finance, supply chain management and logistics.

Time saving and cost reduction

According to Pham Van Tuan from the Core Technology Center of Viettel, the application of the blockchain technology to the management of personal health records helps save time and money for patients and cut other costs, up to VND 2,500 billion (more than USD 108 million) per year nationwide.

At present, the health sector of Vietnam is facing a lot of problems, including the complicated sharing of patients’ information among hospitals. Mr.Tuan shared that a patient when coming to a medical facility may undergo the tests that he/she has had already at other hospitals and it might take one or to two days to have the results.. This really wastes the patient’s time and money. What’s more, as few Vietnamese people have their medical records, this fact poses difficulties to doctors during treatment.

The application of the blockchain technology to the management of medical records helps store all data related to patients, including their disease developments. Basic information like blood types, visits to hospitals and medical facilities… are also kept for later use. People can also manage their health conditions for life.

At present, the keeping of patients’ archives in papers costs about VND 2,300 - 2,500 (around USD 98 - 108 million) billion each year, a huge sum of money that can be saved and invested in upgrading medical equipment or infrastructure. The application of the blockchain technology with the digitization of patients’ data to the management of personal health records will help the healthcare sector save that huge sum while not running the risk of losing data.

Apart from that, no one can tamper with the data for bad purposes, as personal health records are kept in various similar copies under the management of different parties. The change to the records can only be made when all partied agree. The technology makes information transparent and enhances people’s confidence in the health sector of Vietnam.

Important database set up for health sector of Vietnam

The application the blockchain technology to the management of personal medical records will generate a huge database. This is an important source of information for medical experts and researchers in making diagnosis and proposals to cure patients, finding sources of diseases and creating new remedies. Thanks to it, medical management staff can also actively devise preventive measures, cures and predictions of epidemic outbreaks.

Translated by Huu Duong