WHO Launches Global Initiative on Digital Health to Accelerate Transformation

WHO Launches Digital Health Platform

World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) through a virtual platform on February 20, 2024.

Digital health encompasses the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for health, including tools like telemedicine, mobile health applications, health management information systems, and more.

Progress in digital health has been fragmented across disease areas and uncoordinated in efforts. Recognizing the need for accelerated and harmonized efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH). Aligned with India’s G20 presidency priorities, GIDH aims to promote global collaboration and leadership for more equitable and locally-owned digital health systems.

The Launch of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH)

The virtual launch of GIDH on February 20, 2024 represents a coordinated push towards realizing the vision for digital health set forth in WHO’s Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025.

With commitments from over 100 partners, GIDH focuses on four pillars:

• Country Needs Tracker: Captures digital health priorities and gaps at country-level.
• Country Resource Portal: Maps available resources and identifies unfunded needs.
• Transformation Toolbox: Repository of tools and guidance documents to support implementation.
• Knowledge Exchange: Connects countries to share learnings.

Objectives of GIDH

• Align efforts to Global Strategy on Digital Health
• Provide quality-assured technical assistance for standards-based, interoperable digital health systems
• Promote use of quality-assured tools to enable countries to manage digital transformation

To achieve its goals, GIDH aims to provide quality-assured technical assistance and promote the use of digital transformation tools and resources.

One key objective is to offer Member States access to trusted technical expertise and digital public goods that are vetted for standards alignment and interoperability. This will address challenges related to fragmented systems and variable quality of digital solutions being implemented.

Another core objective is the promotion of quality-assured digital transformation tools and resources, such as maturity models, policy repositories, competency frameworks, etc., which will strengthen countries’ capacity and autonomy in strategically managing their digital health transformation journey.

The ultimate goal is to establish integrated, locally-owned national digital health systems in an equitable and sustainable manner.

Four Pillars of GIDH

1. Country Needs Tracker

By capturing country digital health priorities and facilitating targeted investments, the Country Needs Tracker promotes evidence-based decision making and addresses the challenge of fragmentation in the digital health space.

It provides a standardized platform for Member States to publish their specific needs, making country digital health priorities accessible to development partners in an organized and transparent manner.

The objective is to ensure that external funding and technical support are directed towards areas identified by countries themselves as under-funded priorities requiring external assistance.

The Country Needs Tracker helps align digital health investments with country needs, thus promoting efficient allocation of resources and enhancing the impact of these investments on improving healthcare systems globally.

2.Country Resource Portal

The Country Resource Portal serves as a platform for countries and development partners to announce financial and in-kind commitments to digital health, facilitating alignment of investments with country priorities.

This portal aims to improve transparency on investments, commitments, and gaps in digital health resourcing by mapping commitments to identified country needs and priorities.

By doing so, it helps reduce duplication of efforts and inefficient funding while providing stakeholders with an evidence-based view of resourcing gaps in national digital health transformation journeys. The Country Resource Portal addresses the current lack of alignment in digital health investments, enabling partners to identify unfunded priorities and mobilize resources towards areas of greatest need.

3. Transformation Toolbox

The Transformation Toolbox is an essential component of the GIDH framework, providing Member States with a comprehensive repository of curated tools and resources to support their digital health planning and implementation efforts.

This toolbox serves as a valuable resource for countries to enhance their capacity in managing digital health systems. It includes various tools that can be utilized to measure the readiness of the enabling environment, track progress of digital health initiatives, develop evidence-based strategies and policies, and identify quality-assured digital solutions.

By leveraging these vetted tools, countries can systematically assess their level of preparedness, devise roadmaps for implementation, and monitor the progress of their national digital health transformation journey.

The Transformation Toolbox aims to empower countries with autonomy by strengthening their ownership over digital health governance and leadership through access to knowledge tools provided by external partners.

4. Convening and Knowledge Exchange

This pillar of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) aims to create a platform for continuous cross-network knowledge exchange between existing communities of practice, coalitions, and networks at global, regional, and national levels.

By bringing together actors such as governments, development partners, technologists, and public health experts, GIDH can catalyze innovation and convergence of efforts in digital health implementation. This collaborative approach enables stakeholders to learn from each other’s experiences and expertise, minimizing duplication of efforts.

Through this knowledge exchange mechanism, best practices can be shared across different contexts to promote continuous improvement and evolution of national and global digital health ecosystems.

Expected Outcomes of GIDH

Expected outcomes of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) include:

• Increased alignment between digital health investments and country priorities
• Improved quality and focus of technical assistance for establishing national digital health systems
• Enhanced national digital health governance and leadership capabilities
• Accelerated achievement of global digital health strategy goals
• Increased local ownership over digital health initiatives

These outcomes aim to address the challenges faced by countries in implementing effective digital health systems. By aligning investments with country priorities, GIDH seeks to ensure that resources are allocated efficiently and effectively.

The improvement in the quality and focus of technical assistance will enable countries to establish robust digital health systems that adhere to international standards. Moreover, by enhancing governance and leadership capabilities, GIDH aims to empower countries in managing their own digital health transformation journeys.

Ultimately, these efforts will contribute to the achievement of global digital health strategy goals while promoting local ownership over initiatives for long-term sustainability.

GIDH Framework

• Network of networks model under WHO
• Connects countries with technical expertise and digital public goods
• Aligns digital health investments to national priorities

Under the framework of GIDH, a governance mechanism will be established within WHO to leverage technical expertise and country relationships for connecting Member States with vetted partners and quality-assured digital public goods.

This mechanism aims to facilitate the alignment of global expertise with country-identified needs and priorities in order to foster impactful investments in digital health.

By convening various stakeholders such as governments, development agencies, technology partners, and academia, GIDH seeks to provide coordinated and comprehensive support for national digital health transformations.

While owned and managed by WHO, the network will also incorporate other existing initiatives, coalitions, and communities of practice focused on digital health capacity building, knowledge exchange, and resource mobilization.

Conclusion

In summary, the efforts of GIDH aims to enhance country autonomy and leadership in strategizing, implementing, and managing national digital health journeys. By aligning investments with country-identified needs and promoting standards and interoperability, GIDH seeks to accelerate national digital health transformation.

Through its pillars of Country Needs Tracker, Resource Portal, Transformation Toolbox, and convening key stakeholders, GIDH aims to maximize the impact of investments in digital health. This approach shifts focus from siloed products and pilots towards integrated, locally-owned digital health systems and applications.