Excellencies,
As you know, this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization.
Since our birth, WHO has been committed to using the latest technologies for health.
In 1947, the year before our Constitution came into effect, WHO established the world’s first global disease tracking system, using telex machines.
Today, we remain committed to harnessing the power of technology for health.
Over the last two decades, the power and potential of digital technologies for health, including artificial intelligence, has exploded.
WHO has supported Member States, in every region, to use digital interventions to strengthen their health systems, expand access to care, improve service delivery and generate more timely and reliable data.
Just this week, I saw the way India is using telemedicine, to connect doctors in hospitals with patients in rural clinics – Ayushman Bharat health and wellness centres.
Last year I also had the opportunity to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to see the virtual hospital that His Excellency Minister Fahdd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel spoke about earlier, which they have established to respond to a range of health needs, from noncommunicable diseases to emergencies.
The possibilities are growing all the time, and so is the demand from Member States for expert guidance.
That’s why, in 2019, as part of our transformation agenda, we established WHO’s first Department of Digital Health and Innovation, to support countries in their digital health transformation journey.
Through the department, WHO is supporting countries by defining norms and standards, developing investment plans and building national capacity to shepherd the transition from analogue health systems to digitally enabled ecosystems.
The power and potential of digital tools were highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with severe disruptions to the delivery of in-person health services in all Member States.
For example, telemedicine suddenly became indispensable, with many countries launching large scale programmes, lifting policy barriers to enable remote consultation and care.
Many countries used electronic vaccination certificates to make it easier for people to move within and across borders safely.
It’s perhaps fitting that it was during the pandemic in 2020 that Member States approved the Global Strategy on Digital Health, with four key pillars: collaboration and knowledge sharing; supporting implementation of national strategies; improving governance; and promotion of people-centred health systems.
One of the main challenges we face is significant fragmentation, driven by the proliferation of new digital tools in recent years.
Patchwork digital solutions that are not connected to each other create a frustrating experience for providers and patients.
Health workers burdened by multiple paper registers now carry multiple devices, one for each vertical disease area.
Wheels are being reinvented because of a lack of sharing experiences globally, and fragmentation continues if governments aren’t in the driver’s seat.
The Global Initiative on Digital Health will support the implementation of the Global Strategy, by converging and convening global standards, best practices and resources for digital health transformation.
It will amplify areas of interest, such as AI, for which WHO teams are developing guidance on ethics, policy and governance.
Most importantly, the initiative puts countries at the centre – listening to what they need, aligning resources to support them, and providing robust building blocks which enable local entrepreneurs to support public health priorities.
Lastly, the initiative will promote equity – to ensure that as we move forward in a digital world, we leave no-one behind.
We thank the G20 and the India G20 Presidency for recognizing WHO’s unique role and strengths in this area.
The continued support of the G20, of development partners and international organizations, will be necessary to accomplish together what none of us can do alone.
WHO is committed to working with countries to strengthen their capacities and to improve access to quality-assured digital solutions for a healthier, safer, fairer future.
Again, I would like to thank India and express my deepest respect and appreciation for its leadership in this area.
I thank you.