A Melbourne IT firm has won a $30 million contract to manage pathology data for the national health service in Wales.
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Citadel Health secured the deal despite COVID lockdowns and being on the other side of the world.
The company's general manager Stephen Lynch says all negotiations were done via videolink - sometimes in the early hours of the morning.
"They were in lockdown, we were in lockdown, we had no choice," he told AAP.
The IT system will take two years to build, replacing three current platforms in use in Wales.
When finished, it will manage the data from more than 35 million tests carried out by the Welsh health service and will be the largest single lab information system in the UK, linking hospitals, labs and GP clinics.
"This is something we've been doing for over 20 years in Australia," Mr Lynch said.
Pathology data and results underpin about 70 per cent of all diagnoses in Wales but the country's growing and ageing population is putting pressure on health services.
"For clinicians and patients alike, getting test results as quickly and accurately as possible is essential to allow them to make timely decisions about treatments," Mr Lynch said.
Australian Associated Press
