South Scotland MSP Brian Whittle has urged the Scottish Government to make the most of new technology to protect us from future pandemics.
The Scottish Conservative MSP was responding to a statement in Holyrood from the Deputy First Minister on the Scottish Government’s response first stage of the Covid-19 Public Inquiry.
Among the recommendations that have been made in the report was greater use of data and research and Brian believes that technology can be a vital tool in making that happen.
Brian said the incredible speed at which the NHS developed and implemented new technology during the pandemic, including video appointments and the Covid app, demonstrated what could be achieved when people put their minds to it and urged the Deputy First Minister to use that same kind of energy to prepare for future pandemics.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“During the pandemic we saw how important it was to be able to gather data quickly, interpret it accurately and use it to make decisions.
Part of what allowed us to do that was the rapid deployment of new technology across the NHS, from the covid app and vaccine passport to giving GPs greater access to video conferencing equipment.
Better use of technology in the future won’t just help us prepare for the next pandemic, it can make the NHS more efficient, reduce the workload on medics and provide faster, more effective care for patients.
All too often, great innovation and new technologies are stymied during their development because there are so many hoops to jump through before they can even be tested in the NHS. We need to find a way to move much faster in the roll-out of new technology in the NHS if we don’t want Scotland to be left even further behind than it already is.”
