Bangkok 7 September 2023 – Thailand’s medicine and public health has made significant strides and gained recognition from various countries in terms of healthcare and health security services. The management and logistics systems that underpin this success are of utmost importance. The Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University by LogHealth, Centre of Logistics Management and Healthcare Supply Chain, and True Corporation Plc., has announced the success and launched an innovative “AI Smart Logistics for 5G Smart Hospital System” highlighting the efficiency of the “Smart Hospital Model” which helps drive sustainable development of the country’s Medical Hub
Associate Professor Cherdchai Nopmaneejumruslers, Deputy Dean of Service Innovations and Corporate Value, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, stated that the hospital is committed to providing patients with the most efficient healthcare services and minimizes problems which may occur in medical treatment, waiting times, and streamlining unnecessary processes in order to increase patients’ satisfaction. A crucial aspect is reducing healthcare costs by leveraging technology and promoting digital innovation to enhance management efficiency. Currently, Siriraj Hospital has develops a Smart Hospital project in collaboration with partners both public and private sectors. The project has received funding from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), aiming to initiate a “Smart Hospital” prototype by utilizing 5G technology, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) systems for prevention, treatment, and health recovery, ultimately improving the quality of healthcare services and delivering better experiences to the public.
One of the key innovations in “Smart Hospital” project is the development of an intelligent drug inventory and logistics management system, which is an “Unmanned Transportation System” within the hospital. Under the collaboration of the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, and the Centre of Logistics Management and Healthcare Supply Chain, the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University who have expertise in the hospital’s logistic system, the TMS-X logistic platform has been innovated to integrate data on SAP system through QR code and connect with Neolix, an application to control 5G unmanned vehicle in order to solve the hospital’s pain points in inventory management and logistics system by using innovative technology.
Associate Professor Thanapat Wanichanon, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, emphasized that we have stepped into a new era of research and development in innovation to serve businesses as industry landscape changed including innovations in medical services for Smart Hospital, which require multidisciplinary approaches to solve problems and enhance the efficiency. The success of an “Intelligent Drug Inventory and Logistics Management System” is the collaboration between the Centre of Logistics Management and Healthcare Supply Chain, the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, aiming to increase efficiency in planning, scheduling and optimizing routes for drug transportation within the hospital and ensuring the highest level of precision, and timeliness. The system also helps support and promotes the potential for medical services which will be beneficial for the hospital, medical service providers and the general public. The Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University’s policies and management direction emphasizes in the collaboration of integrated curriculum and research across various faculties within the university in order to serve the evolving needs and the development of innovations that link with industries sector, and create commercial opportunities which will be advantages for public and all stakeholders.
Associate Professor Duangpun Kritchanchai, Ph.D., Director, Centre of Logistics Management and Healthcare Supply Chain, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, highlighted that an achievement of the research and innovation project, “Intelligent Drug Inventory and Logistics Management System within the hospital”, is the result of applying logistics principles to improve forecasting and inventory management systems, integrated with data science and artificial intelligence (AI). These lead to the development of AI model called “TMS-X”, a logistics platform within the hospital which integrated with 5G Unmanned Vehicle. The system is designed for pharmacy room to plan and schedule medicine delivery within the hospital effectively as well as ensure accuracy and timeliness by integrating data from the inventory management system, SAP system, and generating QR code that compile data of drug and medical supplies package. The TMS-X system can optimize delivery rounds and schedules under the factors of delivery conditions, time frames, and processes, while minimizing transportation costs. This system will replace traditional transportation system using golf carts and require staff to schedule the delivery, which may cause errors, long lead time, and high transportation costs.
Benefits of this innovation: The ‘Intelligent Drug Inventory and Logistics Management System within the hospital’ helps reduce inventory costs of medical products and provides precise medicine usage forecasts, so that the hospital can deliver more effective healthcare services, as well as maintain suitable medicine and medical supplies stock. Patients also receive medicines and medical supplies promptly. Moreover, the accuracy of medical treatment provided by physicians and nurses increases significantly, uplifting patients’ safety level as well. However, the success factors of this system come from the expertise of the research and development team, the collaboration of staff members in providing data and insights, and the awareness of the benefits of using cutting-edge technology. Additionally, encouraging from management in various aspects, including personnel, time, and budget resources, supports this research and innovation become reality and achieve objectives.
Mr. Pichit Thanyodom, Chief Business Officer, True Corporation Plc., said that True has commitment to leverage 5G innovation’s benefits of the Thais and the country, particularly in elevating Thailand’s healthcare industry. We have continuously collaborated with Siriraj Hospital to innovate a “Smart Hospital” prototype. For the “Intelligent Drug Inventory and Logistics Management System within the hospital”, True has developed 5G unmanned vehicles, the EV cars that help reduce environment pollution. The vehicles operate autonomously using AI technology, ensuring road safety and unrestricted time to deliver medicines and medical supplies. Connected through the True 5G intelligent network, these vehicles can transmit and receive high-resolution data, such as video, to and from cloud-based databases for real-time analyzing. It is also linked to the Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) system, which offers high data security and seamlessly integrates with the hospital’s logistics platform, TMS-X, providing smooth, reliable, and stable operations. We are confident that our innovative 5G Unmanned Vehicle will help propel Siriraj Hospital to become a “Medical Hub” of the country.
