While Vietnam has eased up on social distancing measures in late April, some initiatives implemented as a result of COVID-19 have emerged as best practices to be continued even after COVID-19 is controlled.
GE Healthcare adjusts the delivery of education and training to help deal with COVID-19 challenges and ensure a safe future
“Learning via a webinar is time and cost-saving. It’s very convenient for participants, especially for those who are working in private clinics like me where CME regulations are very strict and courses provided by the university are cancelled”, Dr. Doan Thi Hieu Duc, Head of Imaging Department, Ho Chi Minh city's Family Medical Practice shared.
Without COVID-19, Vietnam still faces high demand for healthcare services and the new operational workflows drive efficiency should continue to be implemented.
According to Mr Pham Hong Son, Country Manager for GE Healthcare Vietnam and CEO of GE Vietnam, the delivery of regular virtual training has emerged during COVID-19 amidst the need for social distancing and country lock-down situations to communicate relevant COVID-19 information efficiently as well as helping clinicians meet mandatory annual training requirements to maintain their licenses.
As industries including healthcare approach a new normal of safe operations after COVID-19, the same principles of leveraging industry contacts for widespread deployment throughout the country will continue, combined with technology to enable quick deployment. Post-pandemic, this also provides an additional benefit of sharing knowledge on-demand and across borders.
Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. According to the Vietnam General Statistics Office, its GDP growth was 7.02% in 2019, the second highest in a decade behind 7.08% in 2018. Income growth and changing demographic characteristics have contributed to a fast reduction of infectious diseases, but at the same time making Vietnamese prone to chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
This notable shift in health problems requires a comprehensive adaptation of Vietnam’s healthcare system, from the training of doctors to upgrading of hospital facilities to be capable of handling the specialized treatment of chronic disease./.