News & Events: Media Releases

Cairns Private Hospital Goes Wireless

28th August 2009

Patients at Cairns Private Hospital can now enjoy wireless internet access on demand during their admission after wireless technology was recently installed throughout the hospital.

Cairns Private is offering its patients wireless internet access at a very competitive rate during their stay.

Hospital CEO Mark Page said the deployment of HP ProCurve WLAN equipment in Cairns Private for patients was part of the hospital’s commitment to upgrade non-clinical services and facilities in line with the increasing expectations of patients.

“We already had wireless internet access for our doctors in theatre but we had so much feedback from patients that they wanted internet access whilst they were recovering in our hospital, that we thought the investment in this technology was well worthwhile,” Mark Page said.

“We believe that providing patients with wifi access will be looked on favourably particularly when patients want to continue working during their treatment or recovery.”

It is expected that there will be demand particularly in areas such as maternity and day chemotherapy as well as for long stay patients.  However early indications have demonstrated that patients from a wide range of specialties are using the service.

The investment in wireless technology also assists specialists who will be able to access information in relation to the care of their patients from anywhere within the hospital.  This access significantly increases practitioner efficiency and has been welcomed by specialists in Cairns Private Hospital.

In the future, Cairns Private will also be able to explore its ability to leverage wireless infrastructure to achieve the substantial benefits that can be gained using wireless voice and messaging, staff roaming applications and real time location tracking of equipment among other applications.

Ramsay Health Care, owners of Cairns Private Hospital, have commenced a $1 million mass deployment of HP ProCurve WLAN equipment throughout all of the Company’s facilities to enable wireless computing for both patients and medical practitioners.  The rollout will be completed by December 2009.