Fujitsu Provides SaaS Solution to Japan's Health Ministry

Tokyo, January 20, 2010

Fujitsu today announced that it has provided Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare with software as a service (SaaS)-based solution for tracking cases of the H1N1 flu virus. The service was deployed less than one month after the system was proposed to the Ministry. Since then, the Ministry has been able to collect information on H1N1 cases more efficiently from each of their approximate 500 public health centers using the service. Centralizing the information has also enabled the fast accumulation of data essential in making decisions of national importance. Moreover, as existing categories of tracked data can be customized according to the user, the information can be used quickly when planning new policies for emergencies.

Building on the company's expertise, Fujitsu's SaaS-based solution for tracking cases of H1N1 supports businesses and organizations in their continuing performance and risk management, amidst the growing flu epidemic, by managing information on cases and inquiries. The service enables the user to manage complex case information, which had previously been either manually tabulated or calculated using a dedicated computer terminal, at low cost and in minimal time without the need of building a new system. Since its inception in October 2009, the service has generated considerable interest among customers and received a significant number of inquiries.

As part of its overall countermeasures against H1N1, the Ministry has been monitoring the outbreak by surveying and tabulating case information in order to act quickly in the prevention of the spread of the virus.

Statistics on H1N1 clusters and patients admitted to hospitals were reported by schools, social welfare facilities, and medical institutions to public health centers nationwide. From there, information was collected by public health departments in prefectural and designated city governments, before finally being reported to the Ministry. However, given the need for an urgent response to the H1N1 outbreak, a more efficient process was required which would allow the prompt accumulation of the large volumes of complex data that had previously been manually collected and reported by these organizations.

Through the new SaaS-based solution, every public health center nationwide is linked over the Internet, allowing for quick and efficient data collection and tabulation in real time, thus making it possible to streamline the management of information and perform aggregated data analysis.

Previously what would have taken approximately a half- to a full-year to plan and develop, went online within a month after the system was proposed to the Ministry, making it possible to track H1N1 outbreaks during its peak. The service can be used where there is an Internet connection, making it readily accessible to new public health centers.

Fujitsu plans to augment this service by providing local governments as well as prefectural and public health centers with surveillance over infectious diseases, inventory control on vaccines, and other related functions.