On the morning of December 13, 2024, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan chaired a meeting to unify software for managing non-communicable diseases at commune, ward and town health stations. Attending the meeting were representatives of a number of Departments, Bureaus, units under and directly under the Ministry of Health, representatives of the Department of Health, CDC, Medical Centers, and health stations of a number of localities.
Panorama shot of the meeting
Reporting on the implementation of software for managing non-communicable diseases at commune, ward and town health stations at the meeting, the Department of Science, Technology and Training said that there are currently three software with the function of managing non-communicable diseases at commune, ward and town health stations, including software for reporting non-communicable diseases to manage diseases: Hypertension, diabetes, COPD, asthma, epilepsy, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety and non-communicable diseases. The software allows exporting initial records and reports on detection and management of non-communicable diseases according to Circular No. 37/2019/TT-BYT, reporting forms, statistics on non-communicable disease prevention and control activities according to Official Dispatch No. 277/DL-KLN dated March 25, 2020 of the Department of Preventive Medicine. Automatically export report data and synchronize to medical statistics software. In 2024, pilot the connection of hypertension and diabetes data from the HIS software of VNPT, Viettel, Vietsen health stations to the non-communicable disease reporting software for 6 provinces being supported by WHO including Ho Chi Minh City, Tra Vinh, Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai, Ninh Binh and Ha Giang. As of December 2024, more than 5,000 health stations have used the software to replace excel books. The software and database are installed and managed on the server infrastructure of the National Health Information Center. The software has been independently assessed for information security to ensure that it meets the requirements for information security and confidentiality. However, up to now, the Ministry of Health has not issued a list of information on non-communicable diseases and data standards for connecting and interoperating data nationwide. Only health stations using software from VNPT, Viettel, Vietsen in 6 provinces supported by WHO can interconnect data from HIS software to non-communicable disease reporting software via API. The National Health Information Center has not yet invested in infrastructure to ensure software deployment nationwide
The commune health station management software has full functions according to Decision No. 3532/QD-BYT dated August 12, 2020 regulating the construction and deployment of the Commune, Ward and Town Health Station Management Information System, including the function of managing non-communicable diseases. Currently, nationwide, 8,000 health stations use VNPT software, 3,000 stations use Viettel's software and 300 stations use Vietsen's software.
The V20 grassroots health information management platform connects software and information systems at grassroots health stations (health stations) with the V20 grassroots health information management platform. Statistics and reports serve management and operation at management agencies.
Based on the actual implementation, the report also makes recommendations in which the Department of Preventive Medicine is the focal point to submit to the Ministry of Health for promulgation of information and data on non-communicable disease management; requirements for the non-communicable disease management information system. The Department of Science, Technology and Training is the focal point to amend, supplement, and submit to the Ministry of Health for promulgation of regulations on the development and implementation of the information system for management of commune, ward, and town health stations to replace Decision No. 3532/QD-BYT dated August 12, 2020, including instructions on the function of non-communicable disease management. The National Health Information Center is the focal point, coordinating with the Department of Preventive Medicine and related units to develop and submit for promulgation data standards to serve the connection and interconnection of non-communicable disease data from medical examination and treatment management software nationwide, from the V20 platform; upgrading, guiding, and supporting the connection of health station management software with the V20 platform; The Department of Planning and Finance is the focal point for advising and submitting to competent authorities to arrange budget funds, mobilize legal funding sources for the National Health Information Center, the Department of Preventive Medicine and related units to complete the software, connect data, train and support users to deploy non-communicable disease management using information technology.
At the meeting, the participating delegates raised the difficulties and obstacles in the process of deploying non-communicable disease management software at the grassroots level, the overlap of software deployed at health stations, software that cannot connect data... Along with that is the proposal to have a suitable solution for unified information management, optimizing resources at the grassroots health care.