Hanoi to pilot AI at three hospitals for early cancer and stroke detection

The AI pilot will start from March 2026 at the three hospitals. Currently, these medical facilities are preparing the technological infrastructure and staff for implementation.

According to Dr. Do Dinh Tung, director of Duc Giang General Hospital, AI is expected to be applied first in diagnostic imaging, supporting data analysis from techniques such as X-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging.

Illustration photo: baodautu.vn

Tung shared that the AI system can support the early detection of many dangerous diseases such as cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and lung diseases. In the initial phase, the pilot programme will focus on the department of diagnostic imaging and related specialities to evaluate the practical effectiveness of this technology in assisting doctors in reading and analysing medical images before widespread application.

Meanwhile, Hanoi Oncology Hospital plans to expand the application of AI in diagnostic imaging such as MRI and CT scans, and to support intelligent radiotherapy planning in the future. In addition, this technology can also assist in reading tissue samples, making the analysis process faster and reducing the risk of missing lesions.

Beyond its specialised field, AI is aimed to be applied in managing medical records, monitoring professional regulations, and assisting in controlling issues related to health insurance and medical expense payments.

The hospital is also developing an integrated AI chatbot application to provide information on medical treatment procedures, appointment schedules, service prices, treatment processes, and directions within the hospital. The chatbot system is currently in the testing phase and is expected to be put into use in the near future.

Speaking about the importance of AI data in healthcare, Do Truong Duy, director of the National Centre for Health Information under the Ministry of Health, said that if, "AI was the brain, then data was the blood nourishing the nervous system of the digital healthcare industry. Because in healthcare, data not only serves treatment but also forecasting, management, and policy planning."

“We have a lot of medical data, but it is currently fragmented, lacking sufficient reliability for AI to learn and understand Vietnamese people and Vietnamese healthcare. The data is scattered, insecure, and there is a shortage of skilled IT personnel,” Duy said.

According to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Thuy, president of FISU Vietnam, and chairman of Vietnam Informatics Association, the biggest challenge is not the accuracy of the AI model, but the availability, standardisation, and interoperability of healthcare data.

To truly enable AI to create a modern and sustainable healthcare system, Prof. Nguyen Thanh Thuy proposed three strategic pillars. Firstly, standardising national healthcare data in line with international standards so that all AI applications can be scalable, objective, and effective.

Secondly, training interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary human resources who understand pathology and are proficient in data science and AI.

Thirdly, building a legal and ethical framework for AI, ensuring transparency, accountability.

Nguyen Tri Thuc, Deputy Minister of Health emphasised that the legal framework must precede other initiatives. The Ministry of Health will closely coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology and other agencies and experts to develop a legal framework and ethical guidelines for the testing, deployment, and accountability of medical AI products, while creating conditions for innovation to develop safely.

The solutions to success for generative AI in healthcare While AI is making increasing impacts on the healthcare sector, bringing more benefits to patients, some uncertainties still remain. Rowland Illing, director and chief marketing officer of Government Health at AWS, discussed with VIR’s Bich Thuy what could be ahead.

GE Healthcare aims to support healthcare development in Vietnam Studying holistic solutions such as hospital planning and capacity development and emerging technologies such as AI are considered keys for GE Healthcare to expand healthcare access in the world, including Vietnam.