PSA members were reportedly forced to resort to using pen and paper due to a computer systems outage that lasted over 12 hours from last night into this morning.
The outage significantly impacted clinicians’ ability to access patient information and communicate effectively.
This incident comes shortly after a cyberattack on the online portal Manage My Health, where patient data was held for ransom.
Fleur Fitzsimons, the national secretary of PSA, criticized the government for the situation, blaming it on their decision to cut funding and roles within Health NZ’s digital services team.
“The government’s lack of foresight in underfunding and reducing digital services expertise has directly led to these failures. The loss of essential personnel responsible for maintaining and enhancing critical systems has resulted in hospitals resorting to outdated methods like whiteboards and paper forms while trying to provide modern healthcare,” Fitzsimons stated.
Fitzsimons urged the government to promptly reassess the funding allocated to digital health services and acknowledge their errors in reducing digital services expertise.
RNZ has reached out to Health NZ and the Ministry of Health for their response.
