Digital health infrastructure a government priority

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Health IT infrastructure is outdated and unable to support evolving health service delivery, and health entities must develop evidence-based processes to adopt emerging technologies, a new Government policy statement says.

The newly released Government Policy Statement on Health 2024-27 (GPS) identifies building digital infrastructure for the future as a priority area for the system.

The five priority areas are; access, timeliness, quality, workforce and infrastructure, which is defined as, “ensuring that the health system is resilient and has the digital and physical infrastructure it needs to meet people’s needs now and in the future”.

The GPS says IT infrastructure networks and security are outdated and cannot manage increased cybersecurity issues, or support evolving health service delivery in the home and within community facilities.

“Having broader digital options can also help with access and timeliness,” it says.

An inventory of data and digital at Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora shows the public health system has the largest and most complex IT ecosystem in the country, with more than 6000 applications sitting on 1,000 physical servers.

A quarter of all databases are out of support and more than half are on extended support. Around 1000 devices are more than 10 years old and half of the critical hardware in use is beyond its intended lifecycle.

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The GPS objectives and expectations for the next three years include to “enable evidence-based digital solutions” and “continue to progress digital initiatives to enable care closer to home”.


It says health entities must develop evidence-based decision-making processes to adopt digital and innovative solutions, including emerging technologies such as precision health, nanotechnology, medical devices and artificial intelligence.

Health also needs digital services that help people to navigate the system and access services remotely, as well as access their own and their family’s health information.

The GPS says the health system needs “smart investment” to maintain and develop the digital infrastructure that supports an effective system.

Health Minister Shane Reti said he sees the GPS as the primary mechanism for the Government to translate its expectations into action.

The Minister will consider new investment in data and digital later this year, when Health New Zealand delivers a new 10-year plan setting out the size and scale of investment needed for digital infrastructure.

The GPS guides the New Zealand Health Plan, which will be published by Health New Zealand in 2024.


Picture: Minister of Health - Hon Dr Shane Reti

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