Dr Phan Van Hanh, a Vietnamese medical doctor, had been developing hospital management software with his team while working at the Ministry of Health in Vietnam. In 2005, after winning a US$ 5000 award for software development and being approached by the CRC-TOPIC Incubator, he left the Ministry of Health, moved into the CRC-TOPIC Business Incubator and founded his company, Vietnam Medical Software (VIMES).
Business incubators help start-up companies gain the necessary, initial visibility for entering the market: “People don’t know my company but they know the CRC-TOPIC Business Incubator.”
Dr. Phan Van Hanh, Founder, Vietnam Medical Software
VIMES focused on developing a software package known as the Health Management Information System (HMIS) for hospitals, which was tailored to the Vietnamese hospital system and budget. HMIS is a data management software package which stores, processes and analyses data to assist health care centers’ management and operation. It is closely connected to the network which provides healthcare services for all villages, districts, provinces and cities in Vietnam.
HMIS can help hospital managers to:
- manage human resources
- analyze information
- generate reports
- evaluate systems
- streamline operations
- reduce costs and
- choose the best healthcare options for patients.
This ultimately leads to an improvement in healthcare services for the community.
In 2005 HMIS was installed at Bong Son General Hospital, and the medical centers of Quy Nho n City and An Nhon district in a trial directed by the VIMES Management Board. This required 46 computers and other network connecting devices costing more then 1.6 billion VND. The pilot program officially started in 2006.
By late 2007 the program had expanded considerably, and now includes 10 hospitals and medical centers. In addition to Bong Son General Hospital, and the medical centers of Quy Nho n City and An Nhon, the software is operating in health centers in Hoai Nhon, Hoai An, Vinh Thanh, and Phu Phong (Tay Son district). The initial expenditure for equipment was VND 300 million. The latest centres to adopt the software are 4 district health care centres, Van Canh, Phu My and Phu Cat. This occurred in early 2008 and will be completed at the end of October 2008.
The rollout of the VIMES HMIS software has been supported by sponsorship from the New Zealand Government, and also by the UNFPA throughout Binh Dinh Health department with a project called VIE P20. After 4 years of operation, there are now 10 hospitals and health care centers using the HMIS software. It is planned to continue implementing HMIS in all health care centers in the Binh Dinh province, and then to expand its use nationwide. HMIS has contributed considerably to Binh Dinh health centers by providing communities with more modern and effective health services.
During the time VIMES software was implemented in Binh Dinh, VIMES also signed some contracts with central and provincial hospitals: In Hanoi the hospital of ENT and Army Hospital 108 and in the provinces of Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Ha Nam, Thai Nguyen and Gia Lai.
Dr Phan Van Hanh started the business without any loans, using his own funds and the US$5,000 prize from the award, but financial management and cash flow problems, caused by delays in payment from hospitals, were a challenge. The business now employs 12 people. He appreciates the support from the CRC-TOPIC incubator and when interviewed considered the main benefits of business incubation to be:
- Space and infrastructure in the incubator’s premises
- Securing customers through CRC-TOPIC promotion and relationships
- The CRC-TOPIC name and reputation “people don’t know my company but they know the CRC-TOPIC”
- Training courses, especially on financial matters
- Meetings to share experiences
VIMES is featured in the infoDev Case Study video on the CRC-TOPIC Business Incubator, at www.idisc.net/en/Article.38727.html.