India aims to launch a global initiative on digital health: Mandaviya
2 min read 20 Mar 2023, 07:53 PM ISTThis framework aims to converge the global efforts for digital health and scale up digital solutions with use of cutting-edge technologies, said Mansukh Mandaviya
PremiumNEW DELHI : 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.
He further added that India’s adoption of digital health as a critical intervention from the onset of the pandemic became a defining juncture as it enabled healthcare services to a wide range of services with ease, reaching the innermost regions of the nation. Citing the examples of e-Sanjeevni, a tele-consultation platform which has crossed 100 million teleconsultations, the vaccine management drive achieving administration of more than 2.2 billion doses, and of Prime Minister Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) that provides health insurance to 500 million citizens free of cost in a cashless and paperless manner.
“While Governments around the world are already making significant investments to leverage technology successfully to improve health outcomes, there is still a long way to go in order to achieve sustainable and scalable outcomes. India accordingly under its G20 Presidency has prioritized Digital Health as a specific priority in its Health Working Group namely- “Digital Health Innovation and Solutions to aid UHC and improve Healthcare Service Delivery". It aims to align, support, and converge efforts, investments and promotes the concept of digital public health goods to aid Universal Health Coverage", he further added.
The event was also attended by Rajesh Bhushan, union health secretary and other senior officials from health ministry & WHO.
