UK: HOSPITAL'S COMPUTER COST CURE.

When four East Anglian hospitals needed to instal a new generation of computers they decided to join forces. With resources tight, very specific needs and a tough set of selection criteria, the group took 12 months to find the right supplier.

Hospital managers face stark choices when they have to decide on their IT spending: should they upgrade the mainframe or buy a kidney dialysis machine? Resources are always tight in the health sector and there are plenty of life-saving ways to spend money. But computers are urgently needed to streamline hospital administration and link the increasingly broad range of hi-tech equipment.