Sunday, May 01, 2022

Want Is Around In Digital Health Policy From The Main Parties? Sadly Not Much!

I thought I would have a look at each of the policy documents for Liberal and Labor and it is pretty thin pickings. If anyone knows more we would all be pleased to know!

For the ALP:

https://www.alp.org.au/about/national-platform/

ALP Platform – March 2011

CHAPTER 4: A STRONG AND HEALTHY SOCIETY

“28. Labor will better harness technology to improve the delivery and coordination of care, reduce duplication and ensure better health outcomes for Australians. We believe technology should play a more central role in allowing patients to interact with their health care providers, and Medicare requires reform to properly remunerate best practice. We will also continue to build and integrate the digital health record system while protecting the data and privacy of Australian consumers.”

157 Page Document – Page 51

Pretty sad the ALP pollies still want to press on with the #myHR!

Nothing found more recent.

For the Liberal Party

https://www.liberal.org.au/our-plan/health

Sole comment I could find was on telehealth.

“We provided better access to healthcare with the introduction of Telehealth. Since the start of the pandemic, over 100 million Telehealth consultations have been provided and Telehealth has now been made permanent.”

So as far as I can tell that is about it – so clearly I need to find a more relevant topic to blog on as            as zilch seems to he happening as a result of Government policy at a federal level. If anything useful is happening it seems to be at the State level and in the private sector!

At a Federal level we do have an anodyne and really unimaginative  Digital Health National Strategy from the ADHA which suggests that the #myHealthRecord and telehealth is about it!

See here is you must.

https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/about-us/strategies-and-plans/national-digital-health-strategy-and-framework-for-action

I look forward to any more anyone knows but I suspect there is nothing vote changing in the Digital Health space which is pretty sad. I do note that the weekly poll already suggests some know more than I do so I look forward to links and comments sharing this information!

Comments more than welcome!

David.

 

 

15 comments:

  1. If My Health Record was any good, or even a little bit good, the Libs would be shouting it all over the palace.

    Their silence speaks volumes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is feasible that politically Labour could bring to an end the My Health Record system. After all it has been some ten years since they had a say in it and it no longer resembles the concept formed under labour stewardship.

    There is a lot to dismantle, not just the technology based system but all those little fiefdoms that have sprung up, various strategies and funding models.

    Then there is the question of what course do the feds take? And how to manage that transition and avoid the debacle and costly mess made replacing NEHTA with ADHA.

    ReplyDelete
  3. When this lot exist:
    The Australian e-Health Research Centre
    https://aehrc.csiro.au/

    We’re hiring!
    https://aehrc.csiro.au/were-hiring/

    "Our centre is growing. What does that mean for you? It means we hiring across our digital health capabilities.

    We’re looking for data scientists, biomedical scientists, artificial intelligence experts, cloud computing gurus, gun software engineers, bioinformaticians, health and medical specialists and more…."

    What the heck is ADHA for? They are certainly not doing Digital Health, they are just spending money, saving none.

    Just give MyHR over to Services Australia to pick over the bones (assuming there is anything of value) and disband ADHA.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Can those who say we have Digital Health Policies available please provide links?

    Thanks!

    David.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Why would the government want to get rid of My Health Record? The people who run ADHA probably tell the government everything is going to plan. Just like the Russian government is telling its citizens about Ukraine.

    Have a look at #45
    https://chaser.com.au/national/an-exhaustive-list-of-the-liberal-partys-corruption-over-the-last-7-years/

    45. Excused the conflict of interest arising when the head of the My Health Record (appointed by the government) privately received money for consultations about the My Health Record.

    Hidden conflict: My Health Record boss privately giving advice to health firms
    https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/hidden-conflict-my-health-record-boss-privately-giving-advice-to-health-firms-20181107-p50eh9.html

    Who cares if it doesn't work and the people who run ADHA it are somewhat less than trustworthy?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice list 10:51PM. I had forgotten the Jim “I’ll fix it” Birch dodgy dealings. There is serious problems to be resolved with our elected officials. I am sure the Labour is no better.

    ReplyDelete
  7. If even you wanted to run an election campaign effectively and on the cheap - publishing and repeatedly pointing to this list would do the trick.

    Make republicans blush.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Don’t ask about allegation related to Aspen Medical

    Aspen Medical was given a glowing recommendation from Health Minister Greg Hunt
    Former Liberal health minister Michael Wooldridge is a lobbyist for the company  
    Aspen Medical has been named in a top-level money-laundering investigation in Sri Lanka 

    Canberra-based Aspen Medical would go on to win taxpayer-funded contracts — without a public tender — worth more than $1.1 billion.
    After combined losses of $7 million over 2018 and 2019, these deals have seen the company's pre-tax profits soar to more than $420 million during the pandemic.
    While Aspen Medical had no prior experience in such large-scale procurement, its PPE deals with the Department of Health were worth $500 million more than any other government supplier, including those with a background in the industry. 

    ReplyDelete
  9. Labour - https://alp.org.au/policies

    Truth Social - https://www.liberal.org.au/our-policies

    My only comment is that “digital” or the use of information technologies no longer harbours currency. It has become normalised and expected to be included as a tool, much like Scott Morrison as a PM is seen as a tool.

    I have read these and meet the questions criteria - policy is light but there.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I still don't see any real links to a Digital Health Policy other than sticking to the #myHR.

    David.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Agree David, there is no specific ‘digital health’ policy. There are scattered use of the term ‘digital’.

    Perhaps it is a topic best avoided - it is a bit embarrassing for the public service.

    ReplyDelete
  12. re: "Agree David, there is no specific ‘digital health’ policy."

    A digital health policy is to call everything new involving a computer "digital". Even better is to call it "digital transformation".

    Unfortunately it's just a buzzword that senior bureaucrats don't understand but think it sounds great.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You need to look for the new buzzwords, then you see what they are going to do in ‘digital’ which is the same just with a different set of terms.

    ReplyDelete
  14. May 01 4:47

    The CsIRO has been carefully shaped. Do not look to them to be some untouched house of independent thought

    A leading Australian climate scientist says the national science agency, CSIRO, has been turned into a “very extravagant consulting company” under the Coalition, with its scientists barred from speaking publicly about government policy.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The CSIRO may be carefully shaped but they are hiring people who do things ADHA have no idea about.

    Makes you wonder why the government has at least two agencies supposedly doing the same thing, except one of them hasn't a clue.

    ReplyDelete