India aims to launch a global initiative on digital health as an institutional framework. This framework aims to converge the global efforts for digital health and scale up digital solutions with use of cutting-edge technologies, said Mansukh Mandaviya, union health minister on Monday.
While addressing the Global Conference on Digital Health organised as a co-branded event under India’s G20 Presidency organised by WHO – South-East Asia Region, Mandaviya said that it is the time to move from ‘Silos to Systems’ with collaboration of all countries for enhanced coverage and quality of healthcare services.”
Highlighting the importance of digital health, Mandaviya stated “Digital health is a great enabler in delivery of healthcare services and has the potential to support overall universal health coverage targets. The national health policies proved instrumental for various path-breaking digital health intervention ensuring availability, accessibility and affordability, and equity of health services.”
Addressing the challenges in universalization of digital health and enabling of equitable access to healthcare services across the world, particularly for low- and middle-income countries, the Health Minister said, “Aligned with the ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, India provided Co-Win, E-sanjeevani, and Aarogya Setu applications as digital public goods exemplifying our commitment to global health and our role in driving equitable access to critical health solutions”.
Mandaviya cited digital interventions have become the foundations of many crucial health programs such as reproductive child healthcare, Ni-kshay, TB control program, integrated disease surveillance system, hospital information system among many others.
