Auckland DHB to offer free Wi-Fi to patients

Free Wi-Fi in Auckland hospitals is growing, with the Auckland District Health Board announcing the availability of Wi-Fi across its sites.

The news comes after the Northland District Health Board made free Wi-Fi available to patients and visitors at the beginning of this month.

Patients and visitors to Auckland District Health Board hospitals can now access free Wi-Fi, in a move the DHB says is designed to help them keep in touch with the outside world during their visit to Auckland City Hospital and Greenlane Clinical Centre.

The new Wi-Fi service allows people staying in or visiting any of the Auckland DHB hospitals to connect to the internet on their laptops, smartphones and tablets for as long as they want to, free of charge.

"Wi-Fi is one of a number of things being put in place to make people's stay or visit with us more pleasant," says Auckland DHB chief executive, Ailsa Claire.

"People in hospital can sometimes feel isolated; providing free Wi-Fi helps patients stay in touch with their friends and families," she says.

"It also allows those people visiting or staying in hospital to get on with some of their outside commitments.

The Wi-Fi service is provided by Internet Kiosk Specialist and has been made possible at Auckland DHB by healthAlliance who manages and supports IT for the Northern Region DHBs.