How COVID-19 has Transformed Technology in Healthcare

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed technologies that could revolutionise the healthcare sector into the public eye but the question remains, why did it take a disaster to reveal them and how does the sector keep the momentum going?

As the deadly virus made its way across Australia, virtual healthcare and Telehealth were quickly rolled out and 3D printing was used to manufacture face masks and goggles as personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages became apparent.

While these technologies aren’t new, the threat of wide-spread infection exposed their potential.

Chai Chua, a prominent figure in New Zealand’s healthcare sector and former director-general of health, now advises organisations on the future of healthcare which he believes will include genomics, artificial intelligence, robotics, wearables, nanotechnology and 3D printing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought some of these technologies out of the woodwork where they were previously ticking around in the background, unable to penetrate the “fortress” of the healthcare sector, Mr Chuah told us.

“All these technologies are kind of bubbling away quietly in the background and sometimes it kind of feels like it’s a hammer looking for a nail to nail down,” he said.