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The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed the landscape of healthcare technology. Healthcare organizations rapidly adopted cloud solutions to address disruptions caused by the pandemic, leading to groundbreaking advancements in telemedicine, digital health, medical research, and clinical care. Innovations that previously took years to materialize were expedited to mere days or weeks through cloud adoption. With the progress made over the last two years, the healthcare sector in Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) has the opportunity to leverage this momentum and tackle pressing challenges beyond the pandemic, such as aging populations, rising prevalence of chronic diseases, and escalating healthcare costs.
To better comprehend the hurdles and possibilities in digital healthcare adoption, think tank ACCESS Health International collaborated with the AWS Institute—an educational initiative for public sector leaders from Amazon Web Services (AWS)—to interview 39 policymakers, healthcare Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Medical Informatics Officers (CMIOs), and digital health specialists. Their insights are documented in the report titled “Overcoming Barriers to Cloud Adoption in Public Healthcare in the Asia-Pacific,” released today by AWS and ACCESS Health.
The research, covering 12 countries in APJ (Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam), reveals that government and healthcare leaders can significantly enhance innovation in the healthcare sector by focusing on three critical areas: establishing clear cloud data governance regulations, formulating robust cloud-first policies, and prioritizing cloud skills training throughout the region.
Establishing Clarity in Healthcare Data Governance and a Cloud-First Policy
The cloud empowers healthcare providers to adapt swiftly, innovate, and streamline operations in a cost-effective manner. The report advises governments to provide a policy framework that guides healthcare institutions and cloud solution providers in building secure and compliant healthcare technology solutions.
The initial recommendation is to implement a cloud-first policy specifically applicable to healthcare data. Where existing government cloud-first policies are in place, it should be explicitly stated that they encompass healthcare data workloads. A central authority for digital health that emphasizes cloud-based solutions over traditional IT options can create a clear roadmap for transformation, enabling healthcare organizations to optimize infrastructure expenses and access scalable IT resources while fostering a connected healthcare ecosystem. The UK National Health Service (NHS) Digital exemplifies this approach with its principle that “digital services should move to the public cloud unless there is a clear reason not to do so.” AWS has developed best practices to assist governments in transitioning to a cloud-first environment.
Additionally, the report suggests that governments explore various policy tools to improve the digital health data ecosystem, particularly through clear and accountable data governance policies. This includes implementing principle-based and risk-based regulatory frameworks with clear, consistent standards based on internationally recognized benchmarks, focusing on outcomes, and providing guidance on their application to healthcare data. Such frameworks are essential for instilling confidence among healthcare institutions, providers, and patients in utilizing digital and cloud-based solutions. For nations with established national data security and privacy regulations, policymakers can accelerate innovation by clarifying how these regulations pertain to healthcare data. Furthermore, healthcare agencies should strive to create a patient-centered, connected system by establishing policy frameworks that endorse open standards for secure data interoperability and exchange.
Other policy instruments that governments can leverage to unlock the cloud’s full potential include incentives for digital transformation and clear cloud procurement policies. For instance, Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency has initiated whole-of-government volume sourcing agreements, including collaborations with AWS, to simplify procurement for government entities and reduce costs associated with purchasing cloud services. Additionally, governments should consider designing policies that foster digital health innovation—such as startup-friendly procurement policies and funding models, along with support networks for startups in partnership with the private sector—to cultivate a mature digital health ecosystem.
Closing the Digital Skills Gap in Healthcare
Alongside the cloud-first policy and digitization roadmap, the report emphasizes the necessity for healthcare professionals at all levels, from technical to non-technical roles, to understand the benefits of digitization and possess the skills to effectively utilize the cloud. The report indicates a limited general understanding of cloud services within the healthcare sector, impacting the adoption of cloud solutions across the region’s health systems. Respondents highlighted the perceived costs of cloud migration—including planning, implementation, and training of IT staff and clinicians—as significant barriers for public healthcare organizations with constrained budgets.
To foster transformative innovation across the healthcare landscape, governments must collaborate with industry stakeholders to implement educational initiatives and training aimed at upskilling the workforce. This will enable the design and development of human-centric digital health applications. Moreover, to expedite the digitization process, governments should empower a dedicated body to enhance capacity building and advance digital initiatives in collaboration with the private sector. Training in cloud technology can also enhance organizational efficiency. A survey of AWS customers revealed that 90% of organizations with AWS Certified staff experienced increased productivity, while 86% noted improved security of cloud workloads post-certification.
Understanding the Benefits and Security Capabilities of the Cloud
Respondents in the research expressed that a lack of awareness or understanding of cloud technology leads to misconceptions among policymakers and healthcare leaders regarding the security and privacy of cloud-based data. The cloud offers a secure environment and can facilitate significant opportunities for digital transformation in healthcare systems across APJ. Increasing cloud skills training can help bridge this understanding gap regarding the benefits and security features of the cloud.
AWS remains committed to addressing the security needs of its customers, including those in healthcare, across all its operational regions. This commitment includes achieving global certifications and local accreditations (such as the Information Security Registered Assessors Program or IRAP PROTECTED in Australia and the Information System Security Management and Assessment Program or ISMAP in Japan) ensuring comprehensive reliability, security, and data privacy. AWS empowers customers to securely store, manage, and manipulate vast health data sets, which is crucial for advancing medical research and enhancing the quality of healthcare.
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