I’m after some data on how many ultrasounds are performed each year in New Zealand. In Australia this data is collected from Medicare, but New Zealand does not have an equivalent natural agency to collect this data given the different funding model. Do you collect any data or estimates around how many are performed in New Zealand each year, or know where I might get it?

Public data on this question is not available. Also, the natural source of this data if it does exist is not clear: who collects it, and what data is collected (even for sub-sectors, such as obstetric or cardiac), is not clear. Certainly it is not publicly accessible if it is collected.

Maketing the agency and means of collection clear, and having any such data accessible, would enable give policymakers much more information about this critical and growing sector. It woudl enable to track and compare any New Zealand trends in use of what is in many countries the most popular form of medical imaging. It will help to draw an accurate picture of the demand for ultrasound services at a time when the sonography workforce is in chronic decline, so under pressure to meet ever growing demand. Finally it would allow general international comparisons on this question which is especially important to nearby jurisdictions like Australia.