Samsung, Dialog, MyDoctor partner Ministry of Health to enable telemedicine services at 16 hospitals

From left: Health and Indigenous Medical Services Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Samsung Sri Lanka Managing Director Kevin SungSu YOU, Dialog Axiata  Group Chief Executive Supun Weerasinghe, Samsung Sri Lanka Senior Director, Head of Customer Service Hogyun Park, and My Health Solutions CEO Sameera Wijerathna

In its continued efforts of supporting the healthcare sector in the fight against COVID-19, Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, partnered Samsung Global and MyDoctor to provide Samsung tablets, connectivity and telemedicine solutions for three years of continuous use to the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services (MOH) to enable the Government’s eHealth system to offer free telemedicine services via the MyDoctor app. 

This partnership, placing no costs upon the Government, aims to digitise the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) clinics in 16 key general and teaching hospitals across the country to provide seamless telemedicine and connectivity solutions for doctors to treat patients remotely during this COVID-19 outbreak, as many NCD patients require frequent consultations and check-ups with their regular doctor

MyDoctor, Sri Lanka’s pioneering digital health solution provider, will be providing their digital health platform to enable consultants to diagnose and treat their patients remotely from their hospitals. These Samsung devices along with digital health solution from MyDoctor powered by Dialog 4G connectivity will facilitate doctors to engage in audio/video calls with their respective patients, issue pharmacy prescriptions and even prescribe lab investigations through the MyDoctor App, greatly reducing the unnecessary exposure of health care workers and patients to other infections. 

Such interventions are likely to also make the consultation process more efficient, and reduce the burden upon patients. Upon the successful completion of the initial phase in 16 hospitals, the NCD department of the MOH plans to expand the service to other hospitals.

At the ceremony held at the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services, Minister of Health and Indigenous Medical Services Pavithra Wanniarachchi said, “We are grateful for Dialog, Samsung and MyDoctor for coming together in supporting us in this national endeavour in enabling the digitisation of the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) clinics in 16 key general and teaching hospitals across the country via superior connectivity, devices, and telemedicine solutions. We are especially thankful for Dialog, Samsung and MyDoctor for rising to the occasion and provisioning these solutions at our greatest hour of need amidst this COVID-19 crisis.”

Commenting, Dialog Axiata PLC Group Chief Executive Supun Weerasinghe said, “In our efforts to aid the national fight against COVID-19, we are grateful to Samsung Global and MyDoctor for enabling this telemedicine solution and thankful to Ministry of Health for its progressive approach towards adopting technology to serve the public. Our aim in providing these long-term solutions is to further enable the country’s eHealth system by digitising key hospitals across the country and thereby facilitate equitable access and sustainable development of digital health interventions for Sri Lankans across the country.”

Samsung Sri Lanka Managing Director Kevin SungSu YOU said, “We are proud to have partnered with Dialog and MyDoctor in this meaningful and timely project to donate the very latest Samsung tablets to assist 16 key hospitals across the country in their initiative of treating NCD patients during this COVID-19 period. MyDoctor app will be installed on the Samsung Tabs, powered by the connectivity provided by Dialog for the telemedicine purposes of the hospitals. Trusted technology has a critical role to play in advanced healthcare and we are proud to be associated with this remote patient treatment initiative to empower health care professionals and patients. Samsung remains committed to contributing any way it can to the challenge facing the nation currently.”

MyDoctor CEO Sameera Wijerathna said, “We are grateful to have partnered with Dialog, Samsung and MOH for this national initiative. Now patients have the convenience of accessing their regular clinics from the comfort of their home via the MyDoctor app. Furthermore, patients will be able to upload and maintain all their health records and prescriptions in the app for future reference. Thus, doctors will be able to access these health profiles of patients remotely via MyDoctor app before commencing consultations. We would like to commend the MOH in taking this gigantic step towards digitising the health system in Sri Lanka.”