Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has selected Swedish medical IT specialist Sectra to provide the technology for managing radiology information and picture archiving and communications images (RIS/PACS) across the province.
The solution will be used throughout the entire public healthcare system in Northern Ireland. The contract is valued at €38m (£30m) is Sectra’s largest order to date.
The Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety will implement an integrated solution under a ten-year deal. The system will be implemented in 25 hospitals, organised into five NHS trusts.
Health is a devolved responsibility to the Northern Ireland government, with the Northern Ireland National Health Seravice run seperately from the NHS in England, Scotland and Wales. The province has about 1.8 million inhabitants and nearly one million radiology examinations are carried out every year.
“This major project is unique in the way it links together so many hospitals for a totally seamless workflow of images and information throughout their entire public healthcare system,” says Jan Wolffram, managing director of Sectra in the UK and Ireland.
In other recent deals Sectra has secured an order from Region Skåne, a regional public body in Sweden, for the supply of an IT solution for radiology information, Sectra Master Examination Index.
Sectra has also strengthened its position in the Spanish market by securing an agreement with Sergas. The agreement includes systems for the management of radiology images (PACS) at five of the Galicia region’s public hospitals, as well as service and support services.
In 2007/2008 Sectra achieved a turnover of €76m (£60m). The company’s stated strategy is to move to generating the majority of its revenues from medical IT systems.
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