Senior doctors commend Health Minister for seeking answers

1 November 2017

Senior doctors commend Health Minister for seeking answers in dubious Waikato process

“The new Health Minister is to be commended for seeking answers to Waikato District Health Board’s dubious decision to spend millions of dollars on a virtual health strategy,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).

He was commenting on reports that Health Minister David Clark has expressed concern about the rapid approval process for the virtual health strategy, HealthTap (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=11938842).

“The approval process for this initiative has been driven managerially, rather than clinically,” says Mr Powell.

“It has taken place without the normal clinical scrutiny that would occur over the use of new health technology, especially one that has been developed in a fundamentally different health system, and without apparent regard to a similar new technological device developed by GPs in Waikato.

“It’s also not clear whether the DHB’s management and Board investigated other issues in the course of the rapid approval process, such as the potential for conflict of interest and so on, and this is something the Minister might also like to be reassured about.”

ENDS

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