Thursday, 12 November 2015 12:55

Broadband rollout to rural hospitals complete

Written by Rural News Group

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Health Minister Jonathan Coleman.

All rural public hospitals and integrated family health centres now have access to high speed broadband, says Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Communications Minister Amy Adams.

The 39 hospitals and integrated family health centres identified by DHBs as candidates for the Government's Rural Broadband Initiative are now all able to connect to fibre capable of peak speeds of at least 100 Mbps.

"Faster broadband enables healthcare to be delivered in new and innovative ways. These e-Health solutions offer better, safer, more efficient healthcare closer to home," says Dr Coleman.

"A good example of this is Telehealth. This technology enables patients to be seen by their health professional remotely which improves health monitoring, lowers healthcare costs, and gives more flexibility to patients and health professionals."

Adams says the Government is now focused on extending RBI to as many Kiwis as possible.

"We've allocated an extra $100 million to expand the Rural Broadband programme as well as $50 million to improve mobile coverage in black spot areas along main highways and in popular tourist destinations. We've also got a bold 2025 target for rural broadband and are proud to be putting rural connectivity at the heart of our regional economy development strategy."

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