Panaji: With India assuming the G20 presidencythe country’s focus on digital health can serve as a model for other countries to replicate or initiate similar programs that can accelerate their own digital health initiatives and get better health outcomes for their populations, an older person United Nations the official said Wednesday.Dr. Karin KallanderSenior Health Advisor and Head of the Digital Health and Information Systems Unit at UNICEF health programtold some potential strategies to replicate IndiaDigital health interventions in other countries include developing a comprehensive digital health strategy, creating a supportive regulatory environment, and fostering public-private partnerships. She was speaking at the second meeting of the G20 health working group here.
“India’s success in digital health can be attributed to a well-defined digital health strategy that aligns with the country’s health priorities. Other countries can replicate this approach by developing their own comprehensive digital health strategies that align with their needs. and specific health goals. Karin said.
This may involve setting clear objectives, identifying key stakeholders, defining implementation plans, and establishing governance structures.
India has created a supportive regulatory environment for digital health interventions by developing policies and regulations that facilitate innovation, privacy, and security that can be replicated by other countries.
He said that the country has also taken advantage of public-private partnerships to accelerate the development and implementation of digital health interventions that, again, can be replicated by countries fostering collaborations between government, the private sector, civil society, academia and other stakeholders to leverage their respective strengths. and resources
Additionally, India’s digital health interventions have prioritized interoperability and data sharing between different health systems and stakeholders. India has invested in capacity building and training of health workers, including digital literacy and skills development.
India’s digital health interventions have aimed to address equity and inclusion by reaching vulnerable and marginalized populations. India’s experience in digital health can offer valuable best practices and lessons learned for other countries to replicate or adapt to their own context.
“It is important to learn from India’s successes and challenges in implementing digital health and use those insights to inform the design and implementation of similar programs in other countries,” he said.
“By adapting and implementing these strategies, other countries can accelerate their own digital health initiatives and get better health outcomes for their populations,” Karin said.
On how technology has helped India, especially during COVID-19, to access remote areas to vaccinate and immunize a mass population, Karin said that during the pandemic, immunization programs faced significant challenges around the world.
However, the use of technology to reach remote areas and immunize a large population varied between countries.
India has a massive population and a well-established universal immunization program. During the pandemic, the Indian government used technology, such as the CoWIN platform, to register and schedule COVID-19 vaccines for eligible people. CoWIN it enabled online registration, appointment scheduling and immunization status tracking, which helped manage the large-scale immunization program, Karin said.
The United States faced challenges in the early phases of vaccination against COVID-19 due to limited vaccine supply and distribution issues.
However, technology was used to establish mass vaccination sites, online appointment scheduling, and tracking of vaccine doses administered.
Israel, he said, had a rapid and successful COVID-19 vaccination program, taking advantage of technology, including a centralized digital health record system and a national vaccination registry.
Low-income countries faced significant challenges in their immunization programs during COVID-19 due to limited resources, weak health systems, and logistical constraints.
However, some countries used innovative approaches, including the use of mobile technologies, community health workers, and outreach programs, to reach remote areas and deliver vaccines to vulnerable populations.
These efforts often required overcoming infrastructure constraints and addressing equity concerns to ensure access to vaccines for all, he said.
“India’s story may be unique due to the massive scale of its immunization programme, utilization of the CoWIN platform and extensive use of mobile vans and outreach programs to reach remote and underserved areas. Despite the challenges, India has made significant progress in vaccinating a large population during the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraging technology to overcome logistical constraints and ensure access to vaccines for vulnerable populations,” Karin said.
“What is also unique is that India is now expanding the scope of the CoWin platform to cover services for children and pregnant women under a new name: U-win,” he said.
These types of systems for tracking services for vulnerable populations will, if possible, have even greater health impacts than systems put in place just for COVID-19, and India is one of the first countries to start planning to implement a tracking system. this kind on a large scale, he said. .
