Japan selects pilot sites for e-prescriptions project

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has selected four pilot sites for its electronic prescription project.

This comes ahead of the formal launch of e-prescriptions across the country in January next year.

According to a press release, the pilot aims to verify the e-prescription system and its operational process, as well as sort out potential issues with the system. 

The Health Ministry has selected the following areas for the trial: Sakata in Yamagata Prefecture, Sukagawa in Fukushima Prefecture, Asahi in Chiba Prefecture, and Asa in Hiroshima Prefecture.

The ministry is currently pursuing collaborations with medical institutions and pharmacies that are interested in introducing e-prescriptions.

Seoul district rolls out AI companion robots for solo living adults

The government of Gwanak district in the southern portion of Seoul, South Korea has deployed AI-powered robots to assist adults living alone and handicapped citizens.

Called Channy, the robot serves as a personal companion that provides personal notifications and has the ability to detect danger and connect with emergency contacts. It also delivers daily news and government announcements.

The district government deployed 100 Channy units to single adults last year in October and rolled out 100 more units for senior folks and persons with disability in May this year.

Park Joon-hee, head of the Gwanak district office, said that based on their analysis of the programme, the AI companion robots have been effective in helping people relieve their loneliness. 

India's NHA releases guidelines for procuring IT hardware 

India's National Health Authority has released its guidelines for healthcare institutions looking to procure IT hardware for their implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

The said guidelines provide a basic framework for states and union territories for the planning, assessment, and procurement of IT hardware to operate ABDM-compliant applications.

The NHA emphasised that ensuring the IT infrastructure of a health facility is crucial for the creation and exchange of digital health records across the healthcare ecosystem.

"The hardware guidelines issued by NHA will help the states and union territories in assessing the requirement and facilitate the adoption of ABDM in their healthcare institutions," said NHA chief executive Dr Ram Sewak Sharma.

Launched last year, the ABDM aims to build the foundation of India's integrated digital health infrastructure by connecting the different healthcare stakeholders through digital pathways.