[LINK] Is it me or is it this government?

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

Senate Estimates has just had a session reviewing the Department of 
Health. One of the topics was eHealth and the Personally Controlled 
eHealth Record. (see link to transcript, below)

The Federal Health Minister, the Hon Peter Dutton, is quoted as saying:

“While the previous Coalition government laid the foundations for 
ehealth by getting computers into doctors’ practices, Labor 
comprehensively messed up the next stage and has wasted over a billion 
dollars in its failed attempt at the second phase - moving to personal 
electronic health records”

Meanwhile, this is from the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of 
Australia' web site

"Minister Fiona Nash, the Commonwealth Government’s Assistant Minister 
for Health has decided not to continue ADCA's funding. This includes 
core funding, along with all project funding, effective immediately. 
Minister Nash's decision ignores previous undertakings and commitment 
provided to ADCA in April 2013 about ongoing funding for ADCA to 2015. 
ADCA was informed of this late yesterday, and was advised it was part of 
the government’s budget deficit reduction strategy"

It is reported that the Council has operated since 1966 on an annual 
budget of $1.6 million provided by the Federal Health Department.

The on going cost to the government of the maintenance of the PCEHR is 
(according to the senate transcript) roughly "1.5 million a month" This 
is only a fraction of the cost of the PCEHR, which has delivered not a 
single health outcome.

What kind of priorities does this government have? At the very worst 
they could have waited until the PCEHR review reported in December 
before axing the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council to save a miserable 
$150,000 per month.

This government has been in office for a very short period of time, but 
the evidence is already mounting that they don't give a stuff about 
evidence. They seem to be ideologically driven. They have decided that 
cloud is the best solution and will be putting pressure on governments 
to adopt as much of it as possible. Yet another technology driven policy.

The Senate Estimates transcript is here
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=COMMITTEES;id=committees%2Festimate%2Ffdbc4df4-3e21-4c80-a905-44b3e703b991%2F0008;query=Id%3A%22committees%2Festimate%2Ffdbc4df4-3e21-4c80-a905-44b3e703b991%2F0000%22


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Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Sydney Australia
email: brd at iimetro.com.au
web:   www.drbrd.com
web:   www.problemsfirst.com
Blog:  www.problemsfirst.com/blog