<\/p>\n
\nHealth Minister Simeon Brown.
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Mark Papalii\n<\/p>\n
Health Minister Simeon Brown has unveiled a 10-year investment plan to shift hospitals away from paper records to new digital systems.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Brown said although more than 65 percent of hospitals were still using paper notes, Health New Zealand also had more than 6000 digital systems as a result of underinvestment and quick fixes instead of proper planning.<\/p>\n
The new plan envisages a single digital medical records system for the whole country, as well as remote patient monitoring to support earlier discharge, a national radiology system, and stronger cybersecurity.<\/p>\n
These would be rolled in three phases over the next decade: “stabilising critical systems, modernising platforms, and enabling innovative healthcare models that put patients first”, Brown said.<\/p>\n
“This is a completely new approach for Health New Zealand, tackling the kind of large, complex programmes that have failed in the past when governments have tried to do them alone.”<\/p>\n
The plan’s five core objectives were to:<\/p>\n
improve outcomes for patients and families
\nsupport clinicians
\nstabilise critical infrastructure
\nbuild foundations for innovation
\nenable data-driven decision-making<\/p>\n
Brown said Health NZ had already launched its “Accelerate” programme to digitise patient notes in hospitals that were still relying on paper, and upgrade WiFi and device availability to support clinicians across hospital settings.<\/p>\n
The separate HealthX programme aimed to accelerate innovation and use of AI by rolling out “one innovation initiative each month to bring digital tools to the frontline”, including rolling out AI scribes to emergency departments, introducing remote patient monitoring, and speeding up x-ray processes.<\/p>\n