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SASIWIMON BOONRUANG
Patients at Samitivej Hospital will no longer have to be without Internet access, as the private hospital group has now embalked on a project to bring digital infotainment to all rooms.
As part of a technology upgrade, a digital infotainment system will be accessible through a keyboard connected wirelessly to an LCD television in the room. The Internet connection is provided by hi-speed broadband that is also available through the TV and a set-top box, according to Raymond Chong, Samitivej managing director and CEO.
As well as Internet access, the system offers entertainment such as movies, music and computer games.
Another feature of the system will be patient education and other services to improve doctor-patient interaction. Patients will be able to access the hospital intranet for useful information about Samitivej hospital services and view its doctor profiles.
For example, patients can access a library of articles and health talks given by the doctors, in the process learning more about their own medical condition.
The system is also linked to the hospital medical system, so the doctor will be able to show a patient their x-ray or ultrasound via the LCD TV.
While some services are now active, the video on-demand and music on-demand will be available in the near future, while patients will be able to keep track of their hospital bills through the service too.
"With the wireless network, the patients can do credit card payments in the room before they depart the hospital," the managing director said, noting that early next year the system will integrate all departments throughout the hospital.
The system has been installed at Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital and will expand to another two branches, Samitivej Srinakarin and Samitivej Sriracha, before the end of this year.
"We don't charge the patients more for the new digital infotainment system because we didn't invest a huge amount of money," the managing director told Database, explaining that the wireless infrastructure had already been in place.
The hospital has invested 16 million baht across all three branches, of which most went on changing the older TVs for the LCD units and set-top boxes.
The digital infotainment is part of Samitivej's five-year roadmap to bring healthcare closer to patients. Chong noted that the hospital planned to implement three tele-medicine projects as part of the plan as well. Samitivej is now in discussions with partners and the projects are expected to launch before the end of this year.
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A Bangkok, Sukhumvit soi 71, un chauffeur fou au volant d’un 4x4 tout neuf fonce dans la foule sur le trottoir, détruisant plusieurs stands de vendeurs. La police est absente -occupée à racketter les conducteurs aux carrefour voisin- et les ambulances mettent 45 minutes à arriver. Sans le courage et l’intervention des moto taxis les blessés auraient crevé sur le trottoir au plein centre de la capitale thaïlandaise.
In Bangkok, Sukhumvit soi 71, a crazy driver with a brand new 4x4 sinks in crowd on the pavement, destroying several hawkers stands. The police was completely absent and the ambulances spend 45 minutes to arrive. Without the courage and the intervention of the motor bike taxis the casualties would have burst on the pavement in the full center of the capital of Thailand.
