Mr SETTER - 1996-05-21
What benefits to everyone in the Territory will stem from the multimillion-dollar upgrade to the Healthnet system and other related information systems?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, my answer to this question will be of interest to the member for MacDonnell who paid some attention in the last sittings to matters pertaining to the department's recording capabilities. I think he referred to somebody having died as a consequence of an incorrect Pap smear result in the Katherine region. Of course, that was found to be absolutely untrue, which was not exactly something new for the member for MacDonnell. However, it appears to be a matter that he intends still to pursue, this time through the media.
For the information of honourable members, the government recognised that, in the case of Katherine, where all Pap smear records were previously held manually, that was a cumbersome and unacceptable system and one that did not necessarily deliver the best health outcomes. That is why, in 1995, the government spent $2m pursuing a more appropriate system for recording and delivering information. Time has moved on, and the government has now a 3-year program to upgrade our system across the board. It is called Healthnet and it will provide all the various sections of our departments and hospitals around the Territory, and community health people, with a very up-to-date, sophisticated information technology system that will work to the absolute benefit of Territorians generally.
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I am aware of the source of the misinformation that this journalist is currently pursuing. I will table this because members opposite may recognise the handwriting on the front page. This is not a paper, by the way, that was attached to the Cabinet paper, but it was certainly provided in an earlier form for information. It contains some reference to the relevance of untimely and inaccurate information which can clearly be detrimental. With regard to the unfortunate reference to Pap smear tests in Katherine, while absolutely no negative outcomes resulted from the nature of the cumbersome records that were available at the time, it did highlight the need for us to update the system.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, my answer to this question will be of interest to the member for MacDonnell who paid some attention in the last sittings to matters pertaining to the department's recording capabilities. I think he referred to somebody having died as a consequence of an incorrect Pap smear result in the Katherine region. Of course, that was found to be absolutely untrue, which was not exactly something new for the member for MacDonnell. However, it appears to be a matter that he intends still to pursue, this time through the media.
For the information of honourable members, the government recognised that, in the case of Katherine, where all Pap smear records were previously held manually, that was a cumbersome and unacceptable system and one that did not necessarily deliver the best health outcomes. That is why, in 1995, the government spent $2m pursuing a more appropriate system for recording and delivering information. Time has moved on, and the government has now a 3-year program to upgrade our system across the board. It is called Healthnet and it will provide all the various sections of our departments and hospitals around the Territory, and community health people, with a very up-to-date, sophisticated information technology system that will work to the absolute benefit of Territorians generally.
Page 1390
I am aware of the source of the misinformation that this journalist is currently pursuing. I will table this because members opposite may recognise the handwriting on the front page. This is not a paper, by the way, that was attached to the Cabinet paper, but it was certainly provided in an earlier form for information. It contains some reference to the relevance of untimely and inaccurate information which can clearly be detrimental. With regard to the unfortunate reference to Pap smear tests in Katherine, while absolutely no negative outcomes resulted from the nature of the cumbersome records that were available at the time, it did highlight the need for us to update the system.
Page 1391
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016