Collaborative efforts, equitable access crucial to bridging gaps between digital and global health: Prof Ilona Kickbush – ET HealthWorld


New Delhi: Advances in healthcare around the world are being spearheaded by digital transformations as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and digital data are revolutionizing the industry at scale. Effective IT implementation is at the forefront of this new-age healthcare revolution, healthcare industry experts reported at the 10th International Conference on ‘Transforming healthcare with IT.’

During the day, during the session entitled ‘The International Health Dialogue along with International Patient safety Conference,’ Professor Ilona KickbushFounding Director and President, global health Centre, Graduate Institute of International & Development Studies, Geneva, elucidated the issue ‘digital health and Global Health – Synonyms?’

Professor Kickbush addressed the conference to highlight that with the increasing challenges posed by communicable diseases due to new obstacles such as antimicrobial resistance, in light of the past COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry needs every more and more digital health solutions that align with global. health priorities. He informed the audience and panel members: “In my experience, these are still two different fields. Those who work in digital health do not automatically think about the impact on global health or the potential of digital solutions, particularly for the world. Similarly, people in global health do not consider how digital technology can advance or undermine their work. Almost three billion people, almost a third of the population is not connected to the internet, and even more so, people do not have access to universal health coverage. Therefore, they are excluded from digitized health systems, online health information sources, and the growing number of digital tools that can be accessed through mobile phones and digital devices. That is why we must work diligently and quickly to increase the convergence between digital and global health.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when the entire world was shut down, the only way for people to transcend geopolitical borders was through digital connectivity. Furthermore, the advances that helped the world cope with the pandemic were also aided by the power of technology. This showed the power of digital transformations and highlighted its importance as a global priority, as it enabled a change in our very notion of health and well-being. However, this exponential growth also brought with it many significant challenges.

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Conveying this sentiment, Professor Kickbush said: “The boundaries of digital healthcare transformations are being pushed at a rapid pace, often without concern for health equity and human rights. And that for us is the focus of global health. We see that government regulations often cannot keep up with the enormous speed of change. Digital transformations must be driven by a public purpose and support the mission of public health and universal health coverage.”

She notified conference members that until now, digital and global health are not synonymous, but in the future they could be. She said: “The effect of digital transformation is becoming so pervasive that it will soon become the dominant prism through which we think about the future of health and healthcare. We cannot think about prevention and health promotion without thinking digitally. So digital health and global health can not only mean care, but also create health. Therefore, we must recognize that the digital transformation itself is the determinant of health. They can decide on life or death, they can have specific impacts on health, they interact with political, social and economic climates and we need to address them accordingly.”

“We believe that digital transformation holds great promise for improving health and well-being, but this potential will remain theoretical and limited to certain parts of the world unless some important steps are taken, and that is why the priorities of the G20 presidency they are so critical. It will help address the huge gaps we see today in both health and connectivity. It will help us take up the challenge of making the health system digital first and making health services and prevention available through digital tools and platforms,” he added.

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Delving into the topic of digital transformations associated with global health, Professor Kickbush focused particularly on the crucial aspect of health data governance. Anyone even slightly familiar with today’s digital space must be aware of the enormous amount of data that is generated every second online. However, there is still no ethical government responsible for that data. He briefed conference members on the fact that in February, hundreds of organizations called on the WHO and its member states to begin work on a global framework for health data governance that will enable the value of data to be realized. use for the public good while protecting individuals. rights and promote equity. He also applauded India for prioritizing digital health data governance to assume a prominent space in all global health policies under its G20 presidency.

Professor Kickbush then highlighted the importance of data solidarity to increase collective control over data use, allowing for equal participation by all communities. She said: “A solidarity-based approach can ensure that data collection can prevent harmful use of data. Data solidarity also means that people who are harmed by the use of data have access to support. We rarely take it into account. And finally, data solidarity aims to find ways to share the gains that arise from commercial data for global health and other public purposes.”

Shedding light on the importance of equitable access through a collaborative approach to effectively bridge the gap between digital health and global health, he said: “There is a need to expand the benefits of data, global partnership and coordination of investments to expand access to open source digital health. public goods that can help especially in low-income contexts. Through our pandemic treaty and other global partnerships, we can ensure innovations are applied equitably in support of global health goals leaving no one behind.”

He added: “We need to identify the best buys in digital health so that private investors can direct their resources towards the tools and approaches with the greatest potential to accelerate universal health coverage. Therefore, global partnerships are essential to generate knowledge to identify best practices, to foster cutting-edge collaborative scientific research into digital health solutions that will benefit everyone.”

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Highlighting the urgency of preventing those aspects that undermine health and well-being by placing particular emphasis on the importance of building trust among all stakeholders in the digital health ecosystem, Professor Kickbush suggested that digital transformation, while essential to deliver the The next leap in health care raises a new set of ethical and human rights challenges, including concerns about privacy, security, and rights violations that contribute to a lack of trust. She said: “We have neglected what we call the soft issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. What made the difference, if we compare the countries that had successful responses to COVID-19, was trust. Lack of trust can arise from the fact that the design and governance of digital solutions do not systematically include key groups. Young people are often excluded from decision-making spaces in digital and they are the ones who are practicing the digital world, and they will live and benefit more from the digital systems of the future”.

Professor Kickbush concluded her address by urging conference members that all stakeholders in digital transformations and solutions to shape global health design and responses must act with a preventative, ethical, mission-oriented, and value based. She affirmed that the health of all, the values ​​of democracy, equity, solidarity, inclusion and human rights must be defended at all stages of the digital development and implementation cycle. Our leaders must view digital transformation through the lens of universal health coverage to truly realize the potential of digitization; Only then will digital health and global health become one. It will not be just a dream but a reality of our health future, declared Prof. Kickbush.



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