Urgent work on medical scanning systems months overdue

2:02 pm today

Health New Zealand aimed to complete 25 stabilisation and upgrade projects begun since 2024 this month.

Photo: 123RF

Urgent work to stabilise medical scanning systems such as MRI and CT in public hospitals is running months overdue.

The radiology information systems that underpin scanning have been so fragmented they have posed serious clinical risks for years.

Health New Zealand aimed to complete 25 stabilisation and upgrade projects begun since 2024 this month but has only finished 10 of them or 40 percent.

"The delays reflect the team has pivoted to additional urgent priorities identified as the work progresses and the commitment of Health NZ to making the changes that will ensure it is making the differences that matters most," said Darren Douglass, digital services acting chief information technology officer.

Projects to extend the life of critical systems in the central region around Wellington were due to deliver their next stage in September.

Five projects had been completed in the South Island which included a hardware upgrade, and upgrades of Oamaru and Southern, and digital integrations communications with a major external private provider.

Hardware and storage had been upgraded in the northern region, where a software upgrade was underway, Douglass said in a statement on Tuesday.

An HNZ chart showed three investment phases since 2024, covering the 25 projects. With 10 complete now, another one would be finished this month, seven by September, then another seven staggered through to next June.

An HNZ chart showed three investment phases since 2024, covering the 25 projects

Photo: Supplied

"Health NZ has a dedicated team working on both the stabilisation of radiology digital systems, and implementing the three investment cases to ensure our workforce and our patients are confident that the digital systems will keep them safe."

The agency refused to release any part of the monthly upgrades that its National Radiology Steering group gets on the grounds of commercial sensitivity.

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