PSA Is Right To Be Worried, Say Digital Health Experts

The Digital Health Association (DHA) has backed the Public Services Association (PSA), which is warning of the very real cybersecurity risks flowing from plans to lay off 1,120 roles in Health New Zealand’s data and digital team.

DHA chief executive, Ryl Jensen, says the PSA is right to be worried. The risks are very real, and these cuts could ultimately have severe consequences for the country’s health system.

She says New Zealand’s health ecosystem currently relies on more than 6,000 IT applications, many of which are legacy systems and need urgent attention. While any new operational plan will aim to maintain service levels, the system’s complexity and ageing applications risks shifting from proactive to reactive, struggling to meet growing demands.

While the PSA is concerned about the integrity of patient data, a worry Jensen also shares, she says the ongoing cuts and lay-offs at Health New Zealand pose a significant threat to the overall sustainability and progress of New Zealand’s health system.

“We get that Health New Zealand is facing significant funding pressures, but we do question the thinking behind the decisions about where funding cuts should be made and why.

“This Government talks a lot about the role and importance of technology when it comes to improving New Zealand’s overall productivity – the same applies to the health sector.

“And this is where we are getting mixed messages. Investing in digital health technologies should be a priority if we want to improve productivity in the health sector, support our health workforce, and deliver the health outcomes and targets the Government talks about.

“But data and digital are among the first areas they cut. Instead of investing in 21st-century technology to address our health system crisis, they defund it, asking teams to “do more with less” and leaving us with an outdated delivery model that puts immense pressure on frontline staff and clinicians.

“It doesn’t make sense.”

Jensen says she really feels for affected staff at Health New Zealand who are working under intense pressure and who now face the emotional stress of being without a job.

“These people are a critical component of our health system.”

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