India's successful adoption of digital health technologies offers global lessons: WHO official

An important WHO official stated on Monday that the effective use of digital health technologies in India can serve as a model for speeding the development of universal health care for all nations. 

According to Dr. Alain Labrique, Director of the Department of Digital Health and Innovation at the WHO, creating an even playing field is essential to guarantee that these technologies are broadly accessible to all nations.

He addressed a session on ‘Digital Health Innovations and Solutions to Aid Universal Health Coverage and Improve Healthcare Service Delivery’ on the second day of the third G20 Health Working Group conference held here on Monday.

‘When we discuss digital health, we mean enhancing primary healthcare systems, expanding access to healthcare, and providing timely, pertinent data for resource allocation. Most significantly, we are discussing equity to ensure that no one is left behind. The key to achieving the aims of universal health, according to him, is through digital health.

Regarding India’s G20 presidency, particularly in the context of digital health, Labrique claimed that the G20 had had a series of fruitful discussions that built on India’s longstanding leadership in the field of digital innovation and utilized digital technology to attain health for all.

According to Labrique, a significant digital health revolution is about to occur as a result of the recent pandemic, which has increased people’s enthusiasm for investing in digital technologies.

The moment has come, he said, ‘to apply successful lessons learned from countries like India and its neighbours, to really accelerate the progress towards universal health coverage, and to amplify the capacity of digital tools to achieve these goals.’

He noted that the pandemic has inspired many governments to shift from digital experimentation to digital transformation, underscoring the relevance and significance of digital health.

The international digital health effort levels the playing ground, maximizes investments, democratizes access to the fundamentals, and enhances the responsiveness that the nation requires.

He stressed the inevitable digitalization of international health systems.

He highlighted its effects by saying, ‘Whether it happens in a way that ensures quality, efficiency, equity, and inclusion will depend on whether we as a group move together.’

We as a group must make strategic investments, he said, highlighting the importance of India’s G20 chairmanship. This will allow for the exchange of credentials for health data that is currently accessible to all member states across borders.

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