Smart technology will transform NZ healthcare

Smart technology will transform NZ healthcare

Wearable or implantable smart devices, robotics and artificial organs using living cells could all be part of New Zealand’s healthcare future – and some of this technology is NZ-made.

Around 300 leading health sector figures from New Zealand and overseas will meet in Auckland next week to discuss how best to take advantage of technology-enabled healthcare to improve patient health outcomes, drive efficiencies and improve equity of access.

The Medical Technology Association of New Zealand and NZ Health IT are hosting the sixth NZ Healthcare Congress “Technology Enabled Healthcare”on June 21 and 22. The NZ Healthcare Congress is part of the HealthTech Week, which is run in collaboration with the Consortium for Medical Device Technologies (CMDT).

“Increasing demands from an ageing and growing population and the rise in such chronic diseases such as diabetes, respiratory disease and cancer will only increase pressures on our healthcare system. We have a new Ministry of Health New Zealand Health Strategy – and with better use of medical technology we will be able to support implementing the Ministry’s strategic goals,” comments MTANZ chief executive Faye Sumner.

Sumner says New Zealand already has a thriving healthcare technology industry with exports totalling $1.3 billion in 2015.

“Smart technology is being hailed as the 4th industrial revolution and it is already impacting healthcare delivery. NZ importers and exporters are poised to take advantage of the increasing world demand for innovative medical devices,” she says.

She says the ARANZ Medical wound-measuring and monitoring system, the Adherium smart inhaler, and Pacific Edge’s cancer diagnostics systems are just a few examples of locally-developed, innovative technologies that are transforming healthcare and improving outcomes for patients.

New Zealand’s most innovative healthcare technologies will be highlighted at the Healthcare Congress when the MTANZ and NZHIT Innovation Awards 2016 are presented on June 21.

Keynote speakers at the Healthcare Congress are:

Associate Professor Scott Wallace of the Dell School of Medicine, University of Texas at Austin, USA. Prof Wallace is a leading world expert on value-based healthcare, developing systems to deliver better service to patients and to help manage chronic conditions.

Dr Michael S. Weiner, chief medical information officer of IBM Healthcare. Dr Weiner will deliver a presentation on cognitive health – cognitive systems that understand, reason and learn are helping people expand their knowledge base, improve their productivity and deepen their expertise. Cognitive computing, enables users to see health data that was previously hidden, and do more than previously thought possible.

Christopher L. White, senior executive vice-president of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (Advamed) in the US. Mr White will speak on Global Trends for Code of Business Ethics for the Medical Technology Industry.

In addition to the keynote speakers, there will be a number of local speakers including the Health Minister, Jonathan Coleman and the director-general of the Ministry of Health, Dr Chai Chuah. The results of the latest health technology industry review will be revealed on June 22 at the Congress.

www.mtanz.org.nz

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