Healthcare is one of the industries most primed for automation adoption. In Thailand, a hospital struggling to cope with soaring numbers of patients is using robot nurses. The robots are built by a Chinese tech company. They are seen as a potential tool to help relieve strain on healthcare workers. CGTN's correspondent Dusita Saokaew reports.

It's what you would typically see on a Thai hospital floor- Doctors, nurses running back and forth and patients, some waiting for up to six hours each day for a consultation. It's a problem that has plagued Thailand's healthcare system for decades- there just isn't enough nurses to meet the demands of the population.

But then this appears, like something from plucked from a sci-fi movie set. Strange as they may seem, Mongkutwattana Hospital in Bangkok believe they have figured out a solution, a logical way to improve their services and make life easier for their personnel.

DR. ANOO NANNA DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR, MONGKUTWATTANA HOSPITAL "At this stage, robots can fill the gap for only some jobs of the nurses. We don't intend to replace people with robots, but we try to replace some jobs that are not very important for people. For some back office, I think robots can help them a lot."

These three new additions to the hospital floor came all the way from China. Built by a Chinese tech company, the robot nurses named Nan, Nim and Nee spend their days ferrying documents between 8 stations, taking care of administrative tasks and patient information.

DUSITA SAOKAEW BANGKOK "These mobile nurses are Automated Guided Vehicles and travel along these magnetic strips on the floor. They are fitted with sensors that allow them to stop if a person or object gets in the way. Clocking several miles each day, the nurses here say that these robots improve efficiency and reduce human error."

AI and Robotics are redrawing the healthcare landscape and Thailand's aggressive push in medical innovations goes beyond just their desire to lead ASEAN in medical care. For this hospital, the possibilities of robotics are endless. Customizable, they look to expand the responsibilities by placing them in the pharmacy to prepare drug dosages, help out in the kitchen and laundry.

Robots can do a lot, but humans are not obsolete just yet. Nursing is a profession that relies heavily on the "human touch".

PAJAREE SIKAMONTHON, HEAD NURSE OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT, MONGKUTWATTANA HOSPITAL "Nursing is a delicate job that requires a human's attention to detail such as inserting a nasogastric tube or giving patients injections. These things require the skills of nurses."

For now, this trio of bots glides slowly and silently across the floor in their bright yellow nurse uniforms with their blazing massive red eyes- Creepy and disturbing for some, entertaining and amusing for others. But whatever the case, with Thailand's rising healthcare costs and workforce shortages, it looks like these robotic nurses will soon become a necessity rather than a novelty. Dusita Saokaew, CGTN, Bangkok.