Indeed, the potential for ultra-fast broadband to transform the health sector and make the electronic health, or e-health, a reality has often been touted as the raison d'être for the network.

However this excitement -- spurred on by the promise of specialist consultations via video conferencing and GPs being able to access digital health records -- has cast a shadow over the many layers and limitations of day-to-day technology already embedded in healthcare, whether it be hospitals, specialist clinics, nursing or medical schools.

The fact is, despite the government's hype about the NBN, hospitals, medical schools, nurses and doctors are already achieving advances in health through the use of information technology.

Take Bill Vargas. As the IT Manager the Children's Hospital Westmead (CHW) in Sydney Vargas has helped the organisation make the holy grail of e-health -- electronic patient records -- a reality.