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The global landscape of digital health has undergone an extraordinary surge, poised to catapult its value from US$ 175 billion in 2019 to a staggering US$ 660 billion by 2025. Within this evolution, Southeast Asia has emerged as a pivotal hub, set to witness its digital health market skyrocket to an estimated USD 6.67 billion.
At the forefront of this regional evolution stands Thailand. The confluence of factors, including the pressing demands triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s burgeoning population, and its rapid embrace of digital innovation, has propelled Thailand toward a profound shift in healthcare delivery.
This transformation emphasises Thailand’s dedicated stride toward a digitally-driven healthcare model, heralding a promising trajectory for the future of health technology in the country. The healthcare segment is expected to hit US$ 1.4 billion by 2025.
Earlier in the year, the president of the Thai Health Tech Association, highlighted projections of a 15% growth in Thailand’s health tech industry, emphasising the untapped value of the country’s healthcare data and urging the government to explore avenues for its use, including potential sales, attracting investments, or fostering new technologies.
However, existing laws pose challenges, limiting telemedicine services solely to hospitals and causing delays in approvals, hindering the timely introduction of medical supplies to the market and impeding the adoption of certain technologies in Thailand.
The collaboration between the public sector and private entities stands as a clear indicator of the nation’s ambitions. This strategic partnership reflects the shared commitment towards achieving national goals, leveraging the strengths and resources of both sectors to drive progress and innovation.
In fields like healthcare, such collaborations demonstrate a concerted effort to harness expertise, technology, and investments from the private sector to advance national initiatives, marking a pivotal step towards fulfilling the country’s aspirations.
Challenges in Thailand’s public healthcare system, such as a shortage of medical staff, an ageing population, and the emergence of new diseases, have been accentuated during the recent pandemic. This underscores the global need to modernise public healthcare, with AI playing a vital role. AI can streamline processes, cut costs, and improve accuracy, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for Thai citizens.
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Ministry, along with the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa), has teamed up with a private company to advance digital healthcare solutions within the public health system. Their focus is primarily on using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect lung cancer early, with plans to extend this approach to various other cancer screenings across Thai hospitals, benefiting over a million people.
Depa has collaboratively worked with the private company on developing the digital healthcare industry and innovation. This partnership not only strengthens Thailand’s public health system but also promotes AI adoption for early lung cancer screening. There are plans to expand these innovations to other cancer screenings and prognosis assessments in the future.
Another leading healthcare institution in Thailand is gearing up to inaugurate the Academic Center of Geriatric Medicine. This strategic move is a proactive step towards bolstering healthcare services for Thailand’s burgeoning ageing demographic. The centre is poised to tackle the country’s transition into an aged society, where more than 20% of the populace has already crossed the 60-year milestone.
The government aims to expand healthcare services in remote areas and hospitals, making health check-ups more accessible and affordable. Initiatives seek to provide comprehensive support across all segments of society.
