National priority influenced by Central Coast firm

The use of information technology has resulted in the ‘modernisation’ of many service industries. One sector that has fallen behind (all around the world) is the health sector. A decision of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) late last year has the potential to change all of this, and a Central Coast company – CHIK Services – is playing an important role driving change from its office in Erina.

Established from a home-based office in 2002, CHIK Services has sprung to prominence since becoming the anchor tenant of Platinum Serviced and Virtual Offices in the Platinum Building in Erina. Managing Director, Sally Glass said, “The COAG announcement in December confirmed that government leaders approved a $218 million injection for the country’s peak e-health group in a vote of support for the rollout of a national electronic health record for all Australian residents.” Mrs Glass went on to say, “E-health is the use of information and communications technology (ICT) to help deliver health services. It covers the use of digital information stored and transmitted electronically for health, clinical, educational, research and administrative purposes.”

CHIK Services provides a mix of services that connect information and people around the increasingly important e-health agenda and have published a short, easy to read vision for health reform: A Pebble in the Pond circulating it to all parliamentarians around Australia before the COAG meeting.

E-health will play a pivotal role in the transformation of the delivery of healthcare and CHIK believes it is crucial to ensure an e-health vision exists to support healthcare reform strategies. Not only is the health sector one of the largest industries in Australia, it is one of the fastest growing. In 2005-06, Australia spent 9% of GDP ($86.9 billion) on health and employed 7% of the total Australian workforce making the health sector significantly larger than agriculture, defence and the retail industry – yet it is rarely viewed as a national economic priority.

Aside from the sheer size of the sector, health has a direct impact on economic indicators, productivity and prosperity of the nation. The economic significance is so great that improving the productivity of health service delivery by 5% could produce savings of around $3 billion and have significant flow-on effects, accelerating economic growth.
Investment in health reform and e-health will lift labour force participation and productivity and increase economic growth and GDP.

“It is time this link is recognised and for health and e-health to take their rightful place as key national priorities,” said Mrs Glass.
More about CHIK Services, including the Pebble in the Pond paper can be found at www.chik.com

Back Send us your comments