India as the voice of Global South is committed to minimising the digital health divide by promoting digital solutions and innovation to aid universal health coverage, Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, said on Monday.
“India’s digital goods are for the world. India’s digital infrastructure and capabilities are enablers of global economic growth and human development,” Dr V K Paul said while delivering the keynote address at the session on ‘Digital Health Innovations and Solutions to Aid Universal Health Coverage and Improve Healthcare Service Delivery’, at Hyderabad.
Reiterating a quote of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Digital India where he stated “I dream of a digital India with quality healthcare is accessible right up to the remotest regions powered by e-healthcare”, Paul added that deliberations in the health working groups have led people to the belief that digital technologies can play a very critical role in achieving universal health coverage and combating health emergencies.
Elaborating further, he said: “Digital Health enables universal health coverage through access to health care services by people regardless of their location and socio-economic status through initiatives such as telemedicine and mobile application. It also facilitates universal health coverage through the seamless exchange of health information amongst providers, systems, patients, policy-makers and so on through multiple systems.”
Underscoring the impact of digital initiatives, Paul cited the example of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission stating “it brings together state governments, union government, laboratories, insurance providers, health tech companies, doctors, NGOs program managers, other stakeholders keeping the citizens at the centre of this endeavours.”
Underlining the significance of digital health, he urged all to become a part of the global revolution in digital health for universal health coverage. “Let us envision a world where a comprehensive package of digital health tools and services are accessible to all, where digital health is for all by 2035,” he added.