Technology has potential to enhance health

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By LULU MARK
TECHNOLOGY has the potential to transform how healthcare is delivered in PNG, new Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Jelta Wong said as he opened the country’s first digital health workshop in Port Moresby yesterday.
The workshop under the theme ‘Architecting our Future: Digital Convergence in the Health Sector’ is led by the Health Department with the support of World Health Organisation.
It has brought together provincial health authority (PHA) representatives and development partners to discuss the digital health system progress and planning for future implementations.
Wong said healthcare delivery system in PNG was not great so the Government was putting a lot of effort into improving it and a digital system would revolutionise it.
He said there were a number of digital information systems operating within the health sector but common frameworks, strategies and standardisations were lacking.
“Which means we can’t fully benefit from these systems,” Wong said.
“These fragmentation gaps must be overcome so that we can better deliver health services.”
Wong said this type of workshop brings everybody together and it pushes health system to do better.
“Your work this week would be transformational to take the bull by its horn and make sure we deliver to the most rural areas.
“This week I expect that there to be a strong collaboration with NDoH and PHA’s.
“No one person has all the answers.
“We have to work together and this is an important opportunity to have a say in the next phase of ICT and digital health strategies at the PHA level.
“Health is about life and we can’t compromise it.” Wong said.