On March 24, 2022, as part of the ongoing HAPRI TALKS series, a seminar titled ‘Digital Transformation in Healthcare - Challenges and Opportunities’ was organized at Room B1.204, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City. The guest speaker, Mr. Duong Anh Hoang – Marketing Director of YouMed Vietnam Co., shared profound insights into the process of building digital applications in the healthcare sector, as well as his personal learning journey and self-development. The seminar was hosted by Dr. Vo Tat Thang – Director of the Institute for Agricultural and Health Policy Research. Additionally, Dr. Nguyen Phuc Canh – Faculty Member of the Finance Department – also graced the event, along with other faculty members and students interested in the topic..
At the beginning of the program, Dr. Vo Tat Thang affirmed that ‘Digital transformation is a national strategy, and the need for digital transformation is present in every industry, every field – including healthcare.’ To delve deeper into the topic, Mr. Dương Anh Hoàng delivered a presentation on the history of the four industrial revolutions, with the current top concern being ‘Digital Transformation – an irreversible trend in the era of Industry 4.0.’ Specifically, digital transformation helps optimize processes, enhance the quality of employee and management experiences, digitize consumer products, and improve customer experiences. Notably, in the healthcare sector, the customer experience extends beyond patients to include the medical staff and healthcare facilities.
According to a study by Mc Kinsey (2016), digital transformation in the healthcare sector has been somewhat lagging behind other fields. Accompanying this are challenges such as “legacy habits,” fragmented health data, patient confidentiality, and budget constraints. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated digital transformation in healthcare. A Global Market study (2021) forecasts that the rate of digital transformation in healthcare during the period 2019-2025 will reach approximately 30% per year.
In Vietnam, Decree 5316/QD-BYT, Resolution No. 12/2021/UBTVQH15, and Circular 27/2021/TT-BYT have paved the way for digital transformation activities in the healthcare sector, making it easier to reach users. The trend of healthcare startups has emerged in activities related to appointment booking, medical information, health management, telehealth, telemedicine, and homecare. Among these, YouMed, established in 2017, stands out as a healthcare startup with the goal of connecting and bridging the gap between three key groups: patients, doctors, and healthcare facilities. As a pioneering startup, YouMed has learned from both successes and failures to achieve the accomplishments it enjoys today. Trust is a fundamental value in the healthcare field, and it remains central to YouMed’s mission.
At the end of the seminar, Dr. Vo Tat Thang expressed sincere gratitude to Mr. Dương Anh Hoàng and expressed a desire for further collaboration with HAPRI. HAPRI also highly values the presence and contributions of the attending audience.