Issue Overview
Digital advancements are propelling innovation and driving long-term structural changes in how healthcare is delivered. Whether applied to the research ecosystem for new medicines, the electronic infrastructure of healthcare centers, or to care delivery for rural populations, digital health technology is central to our ability to innovate and deliver high-quality care.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exponentially accelerated the adoption of digital technology in health and underlines the importance of more robust global governance to ensure maximum benefits for patients and innovators. Future digital health tools will provide solutions to current unmet medical needs and, therefore, greater R&D investment in this space is imperative for the advancement of global health.
Providing access to, and affordability of, digital health tools to global communities will remain a challenge. The public and private sector must work together to bridge the digital gaps present in societies to ensure that disadvantaged populations can also benefit from these new digital health tools.
Positioning Statement
We support policies and regulatory frameworks that embrace and promote digital technologies in healthcare to care for and monitor patients across all settings, enhance biomedical breakthroughs, and support public health surveillance. Although digital health has substantially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital health should not only be leveraged during times of crises but also to address ongoing health systems strengthening efforts.
Policymakers have a critical opportunity to craft policies, regulations and standards that work to enhance government and private sector competitiveness strengthen and harmonize global standards around data flows, data interoperability, data privacy and protection, and improve investment to catalyze R&D around emerging technologies like AI and machine learning. The private sector, as the primary developer of digital health tools, is a critical partner to governments when crafting digital policies that are both feasible and promote growth.
