The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to better support both patients and general practitioners through a big overhaul of health sector funding and IT systems, Prof Robin Gauld says. Covid-19 had also clearly exposed big problems in New Zealand's health IT system, he said. New Zealand should take a more efficient and patient-centred approach, and learn from Air New Zealand's expertise in developing its world-leading app for air travel services, he said. By contrast with this "quite depressing" situation, Air New Zealand had done a "phenomenal job" and its app empowered its clients to do many things in real time. Prof Gauld, who is co-director of the Otago Centre for Health Systems and Technology, says the national airline’s expertise should be used to improve health sector IT.

Source: Otago Daily Times May 05, 2020 01:07 UTC