University of Waikato & Spark Health form health tech partnership

The University of Waikato has announced a partnership with digital health services provider Spark Health aimed at developing a future-focused health workforce. The two organisations will work together to explore opportunities in health innovation as outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the University of Waikato.

Spark Health, a branch of Spark New Zealand, focuses on enhancing healthcare through digital solutions. It provides telehealth, patient management, and data analytics platforms to improve healthcare delivery and ensure secure and reliable connectivity for healthcare providers. By leveraging Spark's telecommunications infrastructure, the company aims to streamline healthcare operations and enhance patient outcomes.

University of Waikato Pro Vice-Chancellor of Health, Professor Jo Lane, highlighted the increasing importance of technology in healthcare delivery. "We’re particularly interested in exploring the role technology could play in enhancing our students’ learning and enabling health education in regional and rural communities," Professor Lane stated.

She emphasised that technology has the capability to reduce barriers to accessing healthcare, especially for patients in remote areas. Similarly, it can remove obstacles for those studying health education programmes.

“Equitable adoption of health technology is top of mind for us, both from a patient and workforce development perspective,” Professor Lane added. The partnership aims to prepare the University's graduates for the evolving work environment across the healthcare sector.

Spark Health Chief Executive John Macaskill-Smith expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration. “Spark Health is passionate about enabling the digitisation of our health sector and communities, supporting our health workforce of tomorrow, and prioritising exceptional patient experiences,” he said.

Macaskill-Smith underscored the importance of digital technology in empowering future health professionals and improving patient care, making it more efficient, personalised, and accessible.

While the specific forms of collaboration between the University of Waikato and Spark Health will be decided in the coming years, possible options include creating an immersive health technology and innovation hub at the University’s Hamilton campus. Such initiatives would support the ongoing development of health-related programmes and innovations.

The University of Waikato has been expanding its health education offerings to meet current and future stakeholder needs in Waikato and nationwide. It recently marked the graduation of its first cohort of nursing students and plans to launch new graduate-entry programmes in pharmacy and midwifery next year.

The partnership between the University of Waikato and Spark Health represents a forward-looking initiative to advance healthcare education and innovation. By leveraging digital solutions and Spark's telecommunications expertise, the collaboration seeks to equip future health professionals with the tools and knowledge needed to enhance patient care and address healthcare challenges across New Zealand.