146th WHO EB Agenda item 20: Data and Innovation: draft Global Strategy on Digital Health – Delivered by Dr. Sadre Alam, First Secretary
Thank you Madam Chair.
India’s sponsorship of the Resolution on Digital Health at the World Health Assembly in May 2018 and its unanimous adoption demonstrated the collective recognition of digital technologies in advancing Universal Health Coverage and achieving SDG3.
With a vision to provide an architectural framework for a comprehensive digital health ecosystem, my country has come up with a National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB).
We are shouldering responsibility as Chair of Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP), the biggest inter-governmental partnership which is working towards adoption of digital health across the member countries.
Digital health products as a public health good should balance the issues related with data security, privacy and ownership. We propose that health data of a country shared with WHO should also pass through that test and not be shared with any Organisation or Agency without clear and explicit consent of the country. We urge for an effective involvement of member states in the finalization of the strategy and in creation of its implementation framework.
India has proposed the agenda for having a Hosted Partnership on Digital Health. DG WHO in his inaugural speech has proposed that the focus of WHO presently is to strengthen the Department of Digital Health and Innovation and while welcoming the concept of Hosted partnership suggested it to be considered over a period of time.
In deference to his remarks we agree to his proposition and look forward to working with DG, WHO and offers our support to the Department of Digital Health & Innovation. We will follow up for creation of such Hosted Partnership in the near future in collaboration with WHO, which will be an additional strength to the Department of Digital Health & Innovation as such.
Thank you.
