Remote surgeries, holographic medical imaging, mixed reality, and patient tracking are some of the emerging 5G-powered healthcare innovations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Dr Gao Yujia, Assistant Group CTO, National University Health System; William Chan, CIO, CUHK Medical Centre; Chien-Chang (Paul) Lee, Chief Medical Information Officer, Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), Taiwan; and Terence Wong, Head of APAC 5G Industry, GSM Association, Hong Kong sat together to discuss these innovations during the "Exploring the Power of 5G Workshop" at HIMSS24 APAC. 

The value proposition of 5G

5G sets itself apart as a wireless network with connectivity that can cover vast distances. Even with the emergence of newer network iterations such as Wi-Fi 6, Dr Gao believes that 5G will still be a dominant force for connectivity in healthcare.

"Wi-Fi is still a local network – it is only [usable] within the hospital itself regardless of how fast [the speed]... Remote patient monitoring and connected ambulances cannot be done with Wi-Fi."

Terence Wong, Head of APAC 5G Industry, GSMA, concurred with this belief: "Wi-Fi is focused on consumers and not designed for large scale critical communication. You [a consumer] will be okay if Wi-Fi is lost, but 5G is meant to support Industry 4.0. That is why there is end-to-end latency which might not be as present in Wi-Fi."

Do digitally native hospitals have an edge over traditional hospitals when adopting 5G?

As Hong Kong’s first smart hospital, CUHK Medical Centre tackled common technological challenges with its 3-in-1 smart strategy that had been applied since it was set up: Smart Care, Smart Medicine, and Smart Management

Adding to its digital accolades, CUHK also became the first 5G fully converted hospital in Hong Kong.

"Our operating theatres all have 5G powered devices and interfaces which support remote training and consultation. We hold training sessions for [medical] students who can directly communicate with doctors and surgeons in operating theatres using 5G,” shared William Chan, CIO, CUHK Medical Centre.

In contrast, National University Hospital, part of the NUHS health cluster in Singapore, faced several challenges when building a dedicated 5G network.

"NUH is almost 40 years old... It was hard to lay cables because of size constraints as outdated systems take up space. [Builders] worked on weekends and overnight to conduct the installations in operating theatres which required a lot of coordination between the contractor and doctors," Dr Gao recalled.

Nevertheless, when installed, 5G networks sparked new innovation for NUHS – particularly with holomedicine, a multi-layered solution that combines holographic medical imaging, AI, and speedy connectivity during real-time surgical procedures.

Dr Gao explained this innovation, "We could superimpose a CT scan onto the patient themselves and use [that image] to guide surgery [in real-time] where we can go directly to the area of interest. Before, we had to put the camera to see if we were in the right space which adds time and complications. We save 30 to 45 minutes of operating time and potential complications patients can have.”

"Technology like this requires a lot of computing power and data transmission. You need an integrated network [like 5G] to bring this together."

Bridging gaps in access and application

Enabling remote medical procedures and training can be critical for treating patients in rural areas.

Chien-Chang (Paul) Lee, Chief Medical Information Officer of MOHW in Taiwan explained how 5G connectivity can bridge urban hospitals capabilities with remote areas in need – which contributed to almost eliminating gastric cancer cases among inhabitants of Matsu Island.

“About 20 years ago, we had national cancer screening where we found out Matsu had a high prevalence of gastric cancer. [With enhanced connectivity], a gastroenterologist from National Taiwan University will visit Matsu Island monthly. After 10 years, gastric cancer frequencies had dropped to zero.” 

Patient health outcomes were the overarching factor in determining whether public-private partnerships can optimise 5G adoption in healthcare. As a long-time veteran in Taiwan’s public healthcare, Lee shared his view.

"We [the government] need to set up regulation infrastructures [for 5G adoption]. In Taiwan, we are working on a cloud template for hospitals to regulate that providers cannot do secondary use of data without permission of the hospitals. We need more clear applications that shows the real clinical benefits of not only the tech or operation benefit – but real benefits to the patients that can make a difference."

Chan added, "In the end, we must be clear of the objective of [a 5G-powered solution] – will this tech help or harm the patient?”