KT to start telemedicine service in Vietnam

Officials from KT and the Hanoi Medical University discuss the details of their telemedicine service in Hanoi, Vietnam. [KT]

KT will launch a telemedicine service in Vietnam with Hanoi Medical University this year, the company said Wednesday.

KT and the school signed an agreement Wednesday to jointly develop a telemedicine service that will diagnose and monitor patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

The service will allow patients to monitor their current health status and receive advice on working out and what medicine to take.

A local subsidiary will be established by KT to operate the service this year.

The new company will hire local doctors for remote consultations with patients. They will receive training from Korean doctors, KT said.

The two parties will also develop an artificial intelligence (AI) program to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. The research will be based on work by Professor Hwang Kyo-seon from the College of Medicine at Kyung Hee University. KT has been collaborating with Kyung Hee University in the bio health field since 2018.

KT chose Vietnam as the first country to launch a telemedicine service because regulations are looser than in Korea.

The Korean government has allowed telemedicine apps to be used due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but only temporarily. Vietnam does not have restrictions and similar services are already in place, according to KT.

Some services in Vietnam include Jio Health, eDoctor and Doctor Anywhere. KT sees them as proof of the concept, according to Ko Hun-seok, project manager of the digital and bio health business department at KT.

“Vietnam is a fast-aging society, which means the demand for telemedicine is increasing,” said Ko in an online briefing with reporters.

“After we start the service in Vietnam, we will expand to other Southeast Asian countries as well. We believe it will take around two to three years to succeed in Vietnam.”

KT will also launch the service in Korea if the laws are changed, Ko said.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]