The meteoric rise of Vietnam’s economy is well documented, with around 21 million Vietnamese entering the ranks of the middle class by 2030. Unfortunately, this has also brought about an unhealthy change in their lifestyles and habits. A survey by the Ministry of Health revealed that 70% of adult Vietnamese do not engage in vigorous physical activity.
On average, those who work in office environments walk only 600 steps a day instead of the recommended 10,000.
As part of these developments, Vietnam has faced a rising burden of non-communicable diseases, also known as chronic diseases, over the last 20 years. One such disease is diabetes, and in 2017, its nationwide prevalence rate was 6% — approximately 5 million adults. More than half of the deaths from diabetes that year were undiagnosed cases.
Another chronic disease of significant concern is hypertension, with a prevalence rate of 20.7% in Vietnam. Worryingly, only 26% of affected Vietnamese citizens are aware of their hypertension status. This underlines a significant need to help the public to monitor their own health conditions.
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. However, the idea of early detection and prompt intervention are not instilled in most Vietnamese, with many only seeking professional medical care when they become severely ill.
Alarming Health Statistics Amongst Vietnamese People
Risk Factors
What Can Help?
Understand How the Risk Simulator Works
With this social issue in mind, Hitachi strived to develop a solution in collaboration with Baoviet Insurance, Vietnam’s largest state-owned non-life insurance company. With its expertise in digital technologies like AI and big data analysis, Hitachi hoped to leverage its cutting-edge technology to raise health awareness and prevent the development of chronic diseases in Vietnam.
The result of this collaboration is the new Health Risk Simulator feature on Baoviet Direct, Baoviet’s mobile app, that offers users a convenient way of tracking their health status. Powered by Hitachi’s “Risk Simulator for Insurance”, the feature uses Hitachi’s proprietary AI to analyse troves of medical big data to intelligently predict a person’s health risks. Currently, the feature can predict risks associated with eight major lifestyle-related diseases by using data from users’ health check-up results and health insurance claims.
Hitachi’s Risk Simulator for Insurance was first launched in Japan in 2018 and is used by local governments and insurance companies for health guidance purposes. Based on a data analytics model, it can predict a person’s likelihood of contracting chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertensive diseases.
By integrating Hitachi’s solution, more than one million Baoviet Insurance medical policyholders can now easily monitor their health for symptoms related to chronic diseases. The app also displays health risk factors and offers advice for improvement. By displaying this information in an accessible, easy-to-understand format, the app enables users to make specific changes to their lifestyle habits for greater health improvements.
Hitachi believes its collaboration with Baoviet Insurance will have a significant impact on Vietnamese society for the foreseeable future. Vietnam is now home to one of the fastest ageing populations in Asia. The number of Vietnamese aged 60 years or older will reach 29 million by 2050, making up almost a third of the total population. The need for healthcare services, especially early detection, will only escalate in time.
By applying social innovations to real-life issues in society, we stand ready to work side-by-side with our partners to improve the quality of living for millions of people in Southeast Asia. Through our technological solutions, Hitachi is powering good for the advancement of society and its people.
Date of Release: February 2022
Search
S.E.A
