Gandhinagar: Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Saturday launched the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH), a World Health Organization (WHO)-managed network, with the aim of consolidating the evidence and amplifying the gains in global digital health.
The GIDH will promote equitable access to digital health by addressing challenges such as duplication of efforts and “products-focused” digital health transformation. Its key components will leverage existing evidence, tools and learnings and will be co-created through a transparent and inclusive process.
Eventually, the GIDH will aim to align efforts to support the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025 (an ongoing WHO project), quality-assured technical assistance to develop and strengthen standards-based and interoperable systems aligned to global best practices, and facilitate the use of quality assured digital transformation tools that enable governments to manage digital health transformation.
In his keynote address, Mandaviya said India’s G20 presidency has leveraged its experience on developing a national digital health architecture through the convergence of digital health interventions aimed at health systems strengthening through interoperability by design.
Highlighting the importance of convergence approach to integrate disparate systems under a digital health ecosystem umbrella, Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant highlighted India’s effort for establishing a comprehensive digital health ecosystem through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
He added that “with a view to avoid re-invention of wheel multiple times”, the country is keen on sharing its learnings with the world.
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised that “the GIDH is an integrative step that fosters equity in healthcare by converging efforts and best practices. It will amplify our efforts with the incorporation of tools such as AI while giving due importance to ethics, policy, and governance.”
“The GIDH will ensure inclusivity, integration, and alignment of our goals by not leaving anyone behind,” the WHO chief said.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)