One of Thailand’s oldest cities, Chiang Mai, is partnering NEC to introduce smart city technologies. Formerly capital of a 12th Century Thai kingdom covering the north of the country, Chiang Mai is working with NEC to transform itself into a modern smart city. The first component of its smart city transformation to be introduced is a digital platform for the city’s healthcare system. The platform will support healthcare facilities in Chiang Mai that are housing elderly and chronically-ill patients.

As part of the first stage of smart city implementation, NEC and Chiang Mai will also explore the feasibility of using other applications within the community under a “Smart Hospital” theme.

As the appointed technology partner in the collaboration with Chiang Mai Municipality, NEC and participating healthcare providers will deploy IoT devices in the facilities. They will also deploy an app that will notify caregivers and patients’ relatives in case of emergencies, such as a fall or when a patient feels extremely unwell.

In a follow-through phase, NEC will support caregivers with an application that allows for remote health monitoring through cloud-based systems. The application will also allow patients to manage their appointments and medication requests. This is aimed to reduce workload for healthcare assistants.

In the planned final phase of the municipal ehealth platform introduction, NEC will collaborate with Chiang Mai Municipality in introducing telemedicine services. This will provide patients with diagnoses and consultations on mild illnesses or follow-up treatments.

Mr Ichiro Kurihara, President, NEC Thailand, said “We are delighted to expand on our earlier trial with a local nursing home in Chiang Mai to one that involves the municipality. Thailand needs to evolve its healthcare system to manage the effects of an ageing population, and we are glad to take the first step together with the local authorities to develop a digital health platform in three key phases for patients in Chiang Mai.”

Mr Kurihara added, “This partnership marks a significant milestone in NEC’s vision of creating sustainable societies empowered by technology. We have identified healthcare as a key focus area where Thailand needs significant improvements to manage the effects of an ageing population. With the digital platform for Chiang Mai’s healthcare system in phase one, we aim to enhance access to quality medical services and improve the overall well-being of residents. We are excited by this collaboration, and look forward to working closely with Chiang Mai Municipality to shape the future of Chiang Mai.”