From the CEO - A healthy focus

By Rod Vawdrey, CEO, Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand

It is widely acknowledged that the health sector is under enormous pressure. A combination of limited resources, the increasing cost of providing quality care and an ageing population is placing enormous strain on everyone who works in healthcare. And these issues will only become more complex as a result of demographic change, with more people living longer and their health needs continuing to increase.

The task is to ensure that our health structures deliver excellent patient outcomes with the utmost efficiency. Fujitsu is tackling this challenge with gusto on a number of fronts.

Healthcare for an ageing population was the central theme at an important conference held last month in Darwin. The Australian College of Health Service Executives (ACHSE) 2004 National Congress brought together experts from all over the world to discuss the latest ideas for efficient healthcare management. ACHSE involves many of the people responsible for translating health policy into reality in frontline medical facilities, so Fujitsu was proud to support the conference as its Principal Sponsor.

As you can read elsewhere in this edition of interaction, Fujitsu is working with a number of ACHSE members on a nationwide pilot of electronic health records. Ground-breaking initiatives of this type are essential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare as Australia responds to the challenge of ageing.

Fujitsu has an impressive record of achievement in healthcare around the world. Earlier this year, Fujitsu was appointed as lead contractor in an ambitious £896 million (A$2.3 billion) modernisation program for Britain's National Health Service (NHS). These changes will make life easier for some 256,000 NHS staff and bring health benefits to 13 million consumers - a bit over half the size of Australia. We have similar high-level involvement in both public and private-sector health projects in countries such as Japan and the United States.

Closer to Australia and New Zealand, Fujitsu has provided healthcare support services to state, territory and federal government customers for more than 20 years. We also work with leading private-sector healthcare providers, including private hospitals and health insurers. Our services range from application development and information technology outsourcing to strategic consulting that fundamentally transforms the way healthcare is provided. Fujitsu works with senior health executives to understand and participate in health-reform initiatives at all levels. Our objective is to design and deliver practical solutions that address local problems and advance the different health-reform priorities pursued across Australia.

Effective healthcare requires sustained attention to detail, the ability to think about challenges in new ways and the capacity to deliver. These qualities are at the heart of Fujitsu's success in helping healthcare executives provide a system that better serves the needs of all.