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HomeTechnologyAIS 5G network a boon to stroke patients in rural Thailand

AIS 5G network a boon to stroke patients in rural Thailand

Advanced Info Services (AIS), aware of the limited access to treatment for stroke patients in rural Thailand, has worked closely with Mahidol University in developing Mobile Stroke Unit ambulances since 2018.

Its collaboration with Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital and Faculty of Engineering Mahidol University reflects AIS’s recognition of the healthcare industry’s significance to Thailand’s growth and the quality of life.

With an annual investment of Bt30-35 billion in network expansion, AIS has an extensive 5G mobile network that reaches the farthest rural areas of the country, covering 76 percent of the Thai population.

Mobile Stroke Unit ambulances have played a key role in reducing inequality of access to advance treatment for those who experience stroke — a sudden loss of the ability of move body parts caused by a sudden change in the blood supply to the brain.

There are about 13.7 million stroke patients around the world — 80 percent of them are in developing countries. 

Stroke often leads to facial and limb weakness, inability to speak, difficulty walking or impaired vision, as well as permanent disability. Immediate emergency treatment is the key to prevent disability and death.

Those who suffer from stroke must be treated within four and a half hours. Treatment includes administering drugs that break down clots, opening the artery, and injecting tissue plasminogen activator, which must be done by a medical expert at hospital.

The problem is brain scan is required as part of the diagnosis, in addition to access to doctors with expertise in stroke. There are about 700 of such experts in Thailand, as of 2020, and 400 of them are in Bangkok.

In order to reduce the inequality, Mahidol University’s Engineering Faculty and Medicine Faculty at Siriraj Hospital joined 11 other allied agencies in founding the Mobile Stroke Unit project in 2018.

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Assistant Prof. Dr. Pornchai Chanyagorn, deputy dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Engineering, said Mobile Stroke Unit ambulances are designed to respond to an emergency call within five minutes. They are intended for areas where medical personnel are unavailable, he added.

The Mobile Stroke Unit ambulance is designed to operate as hospital as if there was a doctor with expertise in stroke aboard, he said. 

In order to ensure immediate treatment, the unit must be connected to a stable communication network so that large files of scanned images can be uploaded speedily for real-time examination by a medical expert elsewhere.

Wasit Wattanasap, AIS senior vice president for nationwide operations and support, says that the company joined the Mobile Stroke Unit since its inception in 2018 by installing the communication system on the ambulances and ensuring sufficient signals along their route and at their stand-by locations inside PTT service stations.

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“We do network optimisation in areas where the Mobile Stroke Unit ambulances operate, particularly in remote areas. AIS engineers run tests on all routes to make sure that AIS 5G signals can support the Mobile Stroke Unit ambulances efficiently,” Wasit said.

“Mobile Stroke Unit ambulances often focus on uploading CT Scan images and video conferencing. At its stand-by location, each Mobile Stroke Unit ambulance needs a network coverage of up to 30-40 kilometres,” he added.

The Mobile Stroke Unit ambulance often waits at a location closest to a stroke case happens. The emergency medical service brings the stroke patient to the ambulance for initial diagnosis, as is the case in hospital. In the meantime, the ambulance heads for hospital for treatment.

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Wasit said that thanks to its extensive coverage, AIS 5G can be used in healthcare to increase access to medical services and reduce disabilities and deaths from stroke in the country’s remote areas.

Mobile Stroke Unit ambulances are registered as emergency vehicles. Since its start in 2018, the unit’s five ambulances have dealt with more than 700 cases in the rural and remote regions of Thailand. 

They are operated under Chom Bueng Crown Prince Hospital in Ratchaburi province, Khiri Ratthanikhom Hospital in Surat Thani, Chiang Khong Crown Prince Hospital in Chiang Rai, That Phanom Crown Prince Hospital in Nakhon Phanom, and also in Bangkok.

“The Mobile Stroke Unit is designed for use in remote areas. To get real-time diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients, a reliable communication network is the key. We thank AIS for participation in this program since its beginning,” Asst Prof Pornchai said.

Associate Prof. Dr. Yongchai Nilanont, president of Siriraj Stroke Centre at Siriraj Hospital, said there would be three more Mobile Stroke Unit vehicles in 2022, and the total number would be eight. Each of the three new vehicles will be stationed in a rural area of the Northeast, North and South, he added.

Also, the Mobile Stroke Unit will be installed on boat for the first time this year, covering a 20-kilometre route from Siriraj Hospital to Sathon Pier and Nonthaburi Pier. This pilot project aims at people that cannot be reached by a Mobile Stroke Unit vehicle.

“We make eight prototype vehicles and pass them on to the policy-makers for further action, so that this becomes a national policy,” Yongchai said.

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