In a significant decision at the G20 Health Ministers’ summit, nations have collectively launched the “Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH).”
Key points
- This move underlines the growing recognition and commitment to the amalgamation of digital health strategies on a worldwide spectrum.
- The GIDH aims to consolidate efforts and investments in the digital health sector, creating a comprehensive digital health ecosystem.
- India’s health minister highlighted India’s contributions, the minister mentioned India’s leadership in the Digital Health resolution at the 71st World Health Assembly in 2018 and its chairmanship of the Global Digital Health Partnership. He emphasized that digital health is a critical enabler of national policies.
- The GIDH, managed by the WHO, will focus on four foundational pillars: aligning efforts with the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025, offering quality-assured technical assistance for standards-based and interoperable systems, facilitating the use of digital transformation tools, and ensuring mutual accountability.
GIDH will ultimately aim to:
- ALIGN efforts to support the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025;
- SUPPORT qualityassured technical assistance to develop and strengthen standards-based and interoperable systems aligned to global best practices, norms and standards;
- FACILITATE the deliberate use of quality assured digital transformation tools that enable governments to manage their digital health transformation journey.
