The government's National Big Data Institute (NBDi) has expanded the channel for people to register with its Health Link centralised platform, covering 11 hospitals in Bangkok.
The move provides an option for people to register and give consent to hospitals to share their health data among hospitals in the Health Link system. Registration opens next month.
Earlier people could only register via Krungthai Bank's Pao Tang mobile app. Some people do not own a smartphone or are unable to use the app to register.
The Health Link platform allows participating hospitals to access patients' data history from other hospitals which could help patients save on unnecessary travel and medical expenses. The move should make it easier for patients who transfer hospitals to share their medical records.
The Health Link system needs the patients to register and give consent to the participating hospitals to submit their medical history into the system.
Data is encrypted to prevent data leaks and only doctors with licences from the Medical Council and working in participating hospitals can access the information.
The government targets to increase the number of public and private hospitals connected with the Health Link system to 500 nationwide by the end of this year, said Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn.
Roughly 300 private and public hospitals across the country participate in the Health Link project with a total of 120,000 registrants.
Mr Chaiwut and executives of NBDi yesterday jointly launched the new channel of the Health Link registration at Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital in Bangkok.
He said the 11 hospitals where people can directly register with the Health Link will serve as a pilot group.
According to Mr Chaiwut, the Health Link system was launched last year as a centralised online health information exchange system with an international standard cybersecurity system.
The goal is to use information technology to help raise the level of health services for people, regardless of illness or emergency, where they can be treated at the nearest hospital immediately.
Doctors can search a patient's information on the Health Link system without having to wait for information from the patient's original hospital which would help doctors make a faster diagnosis. It will also facilitate more efficient treatment as the medical history information will follow the patient everywhere.
