23
Jan

In alignment with PMAC 2024 Sub-theme 1: Global Governance for health, USAID in collaboration with the World Health Organization Department of Digital Health & Innovation, proposes a side session panel on Global Coordination in Governance for Digital Health. There have been incredible strides made recently in global coordination and country governance of digital technology for health, including roadmaps for Digital Health transformation of health systems. USAID and other major investors in the global health space developed the Principles of Digital Development and the Principles of Donor Alignment for Digital Health to facilitate partner country development of strong governance for the use of digital technology in health. A Global Strategy on Digital Health, for which WHO serves as the Secretariat, was developed and adopted by member states in recognition of the significant demand for digital health transformation, and this year WHO launched the Global Initiative on Digital Health, a Network of Networks, to support its implementation. The COVID-19 Pandemic demonstrated unequivocally that digital health governance - including national policies, standards, and coordination - enabled greater resilience and responsiveness to this unprecedented global health threat. We are at a turning point in time where good governance systems and plans can support countries to harness the potential for digital technology to improve health systems and outcomes and support health equity. 

The proposed panel conversation will include background on why and how the donor and country shared and coordinated leadership in this space has brought us to this point, and a discussion on the key role of country governance and leadership in advancing digital technology in health for UHC. Speakers will cover the global mechanisms and efforts on national and donor coordination (WHO and USAID), regional-level advancement (a speaker from the Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN)), and implementation at the country level. The connection to the individual country level and advances made in national digital health governance will be shared by the Indonesian MOH Head of Center for Data and Information Technology, managing the digital health transformation, and USAID/Indonesia on their partnership efforts.