This story provides a visual and interactive overview of Wilton Park's 'Digital Health' series. This story features key outcomes and takeaways from the events featuring Tweets, video, and images.
Part 3
Artificial intelligence and global health
This was the third meeting in our Technology, Innovation and Global Health Series; #DigitalHealthAI is taking place at Wilton Park 27 - 29 June, 2018.
This meeting provided the opportunity for an exploration of Artificial intelligence (AI) in health in low and middle income (LMICs) countries by convening a diverse round-table dialogue including experts in AI, leaders in global health policy and delivery, and donors supporting global health.
This event is held in collaboration with our partners PATH; an international nonprofit organisation and leader in global health innovation.
Stay up to date with the latest by following #DigitalHealthAI on twitter
The story so far...
Part 2
Innovative financing for accelerating and strengthening the scale up of digital health systems
This was the second meeting in our #DigitalHealth series which took place in Washington DC, June 2018. This event focused on the opportunities of innovation and technology to improve the health of populations across the globe.
Why was this meeting important?
A strong digital health infrastructure ensures that health workers, decision-makers, and other key stakeholders can access the right health information in a timely manner to target services toward the most vulnerable and undeserved populations.
It is critical not only for the day to day delivery of health services - it’s essential for countries responding to global health shocks and pandemics. It is widely recognised however, that most current approaches to investment in digital health systems are fragmented, siloed, and uncoordinated.
Where it started
Part 1
Digital health in Africa: leadership and coordination
This was our first event is this series, held at Wilton Park in 2017. This event focused on the opportunities of innovation and technology to improve the health of populations across the globe.
The aim of the October meeting was to accelerate the use of adaptable, scalable technologies for effective healthcare delivery, and better understand the infrastructure and leadership needed to implement these - a need acknowledged by countries in the recent African Ministers Dialogue on Leadership and Coordination (Geneva, WHA 2017).
Key speakers at #DigitalHealthAfrica
How can the promise of digital health in Africa be achieved?
We asked seven participants how the promise of digital health in Africa could be achieved...
What have participants concluded so far?
Key takeaways from our participants
1) Coordination between Ministries of Health, information communication technology (ICT) and other stakeholders is key to achieving goals.
2) Digital REACH can serve as a template for success in bringing partners and stakeholders together.
3) Systems thinking approaches are vital to ensure interoperability and efficiency and provide commonality of approach.
4) Donors need to work with local governments to develop a universal set of principles for investment that all donors can align with.
5) A need to describe desired outcomes in clear language packaged for specific types of sustainable partnerships and investors.
6) The Community Health Academy will co-develop a digital education platform designed to enable community health workers and health ministries in building digital literacy.
Key outcomes
Key outcomes from participant's discussion
1) There are huge opportunities to use digital technology to support and strengthen weak healthcare services in Africa, improving health provision to achieve UHC and leave no-one behind.
2) A systems approach is needed to build a national digital architecture, rather than a more piecemeal approach driven by the latest app or a disease programme.
3) Donors and other investment partners should support streamlined, nationally owned systems, rather than continuing to contribute to the current fragmented system.
4) Donor participants acknowledged the need for coordination and co-investment and made commitments to taking a more coordinated approach going forward.
5) The launch of the African Alliance of Digital Health Networks resulted in pledges of support from conference participants and expressions of interest from at least nine countries, as well as commitment from various participants to join the African Alliance Board.
