Huawei Wi-Fi 6 Network Facilitates Transformation of Vejthani into Smart Hospital

Background:

Established in 1994, Vejthani Hospital is one of the leading private international hospitals in Thailand today. Serving over 300,000 patients a year from over 150 countries, with more than 200 inpatient beds, the hospital is accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI), a US-based organization that certifies health care quality and patient safety of top-tier hospitals across the globe.

Vejthani Hospital provides a comprehensive range of quaternary medical services, including spinal surgeries, total knee and hip joint replacement surgery, comprehensive orthopedic care by specialists in each branch, laser treatment for hemorrhoid, plastic surgery, dental, skin & laser treatment and many others.

Using innovative medical technologies, the hospital’s internationally trained specialists offer world-class health care standards to give patients the most comfortable medical experience.

Challenges and Requirements:

Vejthani Hospital’s previous network needed to be improved to ensure comprehensive Wi-Fi coverage and high speed in all areas. The objective was to improve user experience and support state-of-the art technologies such as 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and Robotics.

Huawei Solution

After studying customer requirements, Huawei proposed a software-defined network (SDN) architecture, based on a three-phase roadmap to build intelligent connectivity, and help transform Vejthani into a smart hospital.

• Phase 1: Consisted of the installation of Wi-Fi 6 in a pilot building, with an initial set of 65 Access Points (APs) to enable Super High Speed Internet access for doctors, medical staff, and patients in the hospital’s open areas. This solution enables the medical staff to access Cloud services, while supporting the hospital’s wireless Intranet system, including LIS (Laboratory Information System), PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) and HIS (Hospital Information System). It was designed to support the addition of new applications in the future.

• Phase 2: More hospital buildings were integrated into the new Wi-Fi 6 network, facilitating the full use of the new software. To do so, Huawei increased the network size, by replacing the core switch with a bigger one (25/40/100 GE High-Density port) and adding another 351 Access Points (APs).

Phase 3: The system was further enhanced by adding intelligent technologies such as 5G, and AI plus Analytics.

Equipment provided by Huawei included:

o 416 new Wi-Fi 6 Access Points (APs) with multi-GE links allowing up to 5.76 Gbps speed
o 2 Multi-GE Core Switches for 5G speed, for maximum reliability and high bandwidth
o Data center – 2 redundant 10G Server Switches
o 3 units of iMaster Network Cloud Engine (NCE) – Huawei's next-generation driving network management and control system for campus networks, with autonomous monitoring and error detection, as well as proactive prevention and maintenance to facilitate the work of IT officers and ensure system continuity.

Customer Benefits:

• Lower operating costs
• Higher system efficiency and reliability
• Reduced bottleneck issues
• Centralized network management and control system with iMaster NCE
• Possibility to extend the core switches to up to 100 GE
• Vejthani Hospital is now equipped with an intelligent network, reducing the need for maintenance and equipment change
• In the future, the network system can expand and integrate 5G and AI, and support innovative medical applications such as real time applications (smart ambulance, telemedicine) or Robotics

Vejthani Hospital’s medical staff can benefit from high-speed Internet and Cloud access while patients enjoy better internet experience.