Laying out a Roadmap to Health for All in the Digital Age

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With just five years left to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030, there is growing urgency to turn promises into progress. Health systems everywhere are under strain, facing the combined pressures of climate shocks, pandemics, conflicts and tightening budgets.

Amid these challenges, a powerful opportunity is gaining prominence: the digital transformation of health. Across countries, digital technologies are reshaping how services are planned, delivered and accessed, connecting health workers to communities, generating real-time data to track outbreaks, and improving the continuity of care through interoperable health records.

When implemented strategically, digital transformation can strengthen every pillar of a health system, from governance and financing to service delivery and accountability. But technology on its own is not enough. Success depends on the enabling environment that technology is deployed in: political leadership, effective management and coordination, strong legislation, sustainable investment and a shared commitment to equity.

And that is where the Roadmap to 2030: Health for All in the Digital Age comes in!

 

From Evidence to Action
Recognising the need for a collective and coordinated path forward, Transform Health and its partners have developed the Roadmap to 2030, a five-year plan to accelerate the digital transformation of health systems and help countries achieve UHC.

The Roadmap builds on insights from Framing the Future: The Current State of Digital Transformation of Health and the Road to Universal Health Coverage, a report developed under the guidance of Transform Health’s High-Level Advisory Group1 and launched at the 80th UN General Assembly in September 2025. The event convened government leaders, UN agencies, civil society, youth representatives and philanthropy for a multi-stakeholder dialogue on the report’s findings. Speakers from the Governments of the Philippines and Egypt, UNICEF, the Global Fund, UHC2030, Africa CDC, WACI Health, Emerson Collective, PATH, the ONE Campaign, Medic and Women Political Leaders reflected on the implications of the analysis. Their contributions culminated in collective commitments across governance, financing, equity and accountability to help shape the next phase of the Roadmap.

 

First picture: Rosemary Mburu (Executive Director, WACI Health), Pamela Cipriano (Co-Chair, UCH2030), Hon. Abira Saber (Member of Parliament, Egypt), Neema Lugangira (Secretary General, Women Political Leaders), and Carlos Acosta (Deputy Director of Programmes Group, UNICEF) | Second picture: Jean Philbert Nsengimana (Chief Digital Advisor, Africa CDC), Rebecca Hope (Director Global Health, Emerson Collective), John Fairhurst (Head, Private Sector Engagement, Global Fund)

 

Its message was simple – impact is not determined by technology, but by politics.

The report found that where governments show ownership by setting clear digital strategies, financing frameworks and accountability mechanisms, digital systems scale and endure. But where that leadership is missing, progress remains fragmented, and inequities widen.

The analysis identified five enablers that consistently underpin successful digital transformation:

  1. Political leadership and governance that sustain momentum
  2. Strong legislation and regulation to build trust and accountability
  3. Sustainable investment and financing that align priorities
  4. Effective management and coordination across sectors and levels of government
  5. Infrastructure, standards and interoperability that allow data to flow securely and seamlessly

These findings laid the foundation for the Roadmap, which translates evidence into action.

 

A Collective Process
The Roadmap to 2030 is being co-developed with partners across government, civil society, academia and the private sector. During Digital Health Week 2025, five global dialogues and several national consultations brought together diverse voices, from parliamentarians to youth networks, to discuss how to build the enabling environment needed for sustainable digital health transformation. 

 

Considering the importance of equity and inclusion to the digital transformation of health, Sean Blake from UNICEF remarked that, “We know that investing in system strengthening, specifically investing in barriers to equity is good business and has a very strong return on investment. (…) USAID in an analysis last year (2024), found that interventions that include capacity building, addressing digital literacy and addressing institutional reform had an 85% sustainability rate, versus 23% protect only projects.” during Dialogue 1. 

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“We believe digital health is not only a technical transformation but also a political one in which legislators can play a decisive role”, said Guilherme Duarte, from the UNITE Parliamentary Network, as he spoke about the important role of legislators in ensuring the right laws and regulation are in place. 

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Blended finance is how we can best use public finance and domestic finance in the current context, said Brendan Kwesiga from UNICEF during Dialogue 3 on Resources and Investment.

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While Fatou Fall from PATH, reflecting on the role of national leadership, management and coordination during Dialogue 4, remarked that, “Introducing innovations into a country is something that can be done quite easily but if you do  not include the right people and you do  not take into account from the beginning the coordination and more importantly the governance, you will end up not being able to scale.

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Remarked Kristina Celentano from Koralaide observed that, “Countries are starting to think more strategically now about what are the data exchange standards that they need as part of their health data exchange to be able to ensure that these disparate systems can move data and not trap data, during Dialogue 5 as participants underscored the importance of open, standards-based systems and sustained investment in power, connectivity, and cybersecurity.

 

The message across these dialogues was consistent: Digital health is not a luxury, it is a necessity, but it must work for everyone.

We are now at a defining moment. The Roadmap to 2030 aims to align global, regional and national efforts around a shared vision of ensuring that by 2030, digital transformation strengthens health systems and drives real progress toward UHC.

It complements existing global frameworks such as the WHO–ITU National eHealth Strategy Toolkit of which came the seven guiding principles on ehealth, the Global Strategy on Digital Health (2020–2027), the UHC Action Agenda and the Global Digital Compact by focusing on what makes digital transformation actually work: the enabling environment.

This is not about creating another framework that directs where resources should be directed and the sequencing of activities under an agreed plan. It is about building political momentum, connecting the dots, clarifying priorities and charting a practical course for action led by governments, with the active participation of all, particularly those who are not currently at the table, over the next five years.

 

Have your say:
Transform Health is now opening a public validation period of the draft Roadmap. This is an open invitation to partners, governments and individuals across the digital health ecosystem to share insights, reflections and ideas on how we can get this right together.

The public review runs until 5 December 2025, ahead of the official launch on 12 December 2025.

You can read the draft Roadmap HERE. Share your feedback by completing the survey: HERE. Your perspective will help ensure that the Roadmap reflects the realities, priorities and ambitions of the global health community.

If we get this right, collectively, the next five years will not only be about digital innovation. It will be about digital transformation that delivers health for everyone.

 

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1 We are very grateful for the leadership of the High Level Advisory Group whose members include: Alain Labrique: Director, Department of Digital Health and Innovation, WHO; Magda Robalo Correia Silva: President, IGHD, Guinea-Bissau and Co-chair of UHC2030; Caroline Mbindyo: CEO, Amref Health Innovations; Rosemary Mburu: Executive Director, WACI Health; Imane Lakbachi: DTH Lab and WHO Youth Council Member; David McNair: Executive Director of Global Policy, ONE Campaign; Christoph Benn: Director for Global Health Diplomacy, Joep Lange Institute and Chair of the Board, Transform Health; Natasha Sunderji: Global Health and Nutrition Lead, Accenture Development Partnerships and Member of the Board, Transform Health; Jelena Bojović: Director, NALED and Director, Center for fourth industrial revolution, WEF; Steven Wanyee: CEO, Intellisoft and President, Health Informatics in Africa (HELINA); Bilal Mateen: Chief AI Officer, PATH; Guilherme Duarte: Executive Director, UNITE Parliamentary Network