Transform Health launches the report ‘The Case For Digital Health: Accelerating Progress to Achieve UHC’ at the AI For Good Summit during Digital Health Week.
All countries have committed to extend universal health coverage (UHC) to everyone by 2030. Whilst most countries have expanded access to essential health services, the goal of UHC remains elusive for around half of the world’s population, particularly those living in low and middle income countries.
Innovative approaches are urgently needed to put all countries on track to achieve UHC. There is much excitement and hype about the potential of digital technologies to strengthen health systems and expand coverage of essential health services.
Digitalisation and the use of digital technologies is already an important and growing part of most health systems. However, national governments and international health partners are not yet fully unlocking the potential of digital health to scale up access to primary health care services as a pathway to achieve UHC.
The positive benefits of digital technologies and data for health are not yet being made available to everyone, which risks widening health inequalities. Furthermore, the application of digital technologies, without due consideration of key principles such as equity and human rights, can undermine efforts towards UHC.
ACTIONS TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS TOWARDS UHC
Transform Health has launched a new report that makes the case for digital health and how it can help us to accelerate progress towards UHC. In the report, we explain how digital technologies can support the achievement of UHC but also the barriers that need to be overcome in order for the digital technologies and data to improve—and not undermine—health equity.
Unleashing the potential of digital health for everyone will require coordinated, multi-sectoral action to close the digital divide and implement UHC-driven approaches to digital health. The report outlines six steps that policymakers and other digital health actors need to take to enable us to achieve health for all in the digital age.
See how countries and health partners are harnessing digital health technologies to advance UHC in our collection of case studies.
In this digital age, it is unacceptable that half the world’s population are being deprived of essential health care. As we countdown to the year 2030, digitalisation and the appropriate application of digital technologies should be a central part of countries’ approaches as they redouble their efforts to achieve UHC by 2030.
By taking the actions proposed by Transform Health, governments and technology companies can maximise the potential of digital health and allow everyone to realise their right to health.
