WHO launches new global Initiative on digital health

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the G20 India presidency announced a new Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) at the Health Minister’s Meeting of the G20 Summit hosted by the Government of India.

The new GIDH initiative will operate as a WHO-managed network and platform to support the implementation of the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025. WHO serves as the Secretariat for the strategy implementation to converge and convene global standards, best practices and resources to fast track digital health system transformation.

The GIDH initiative aims to bring countries and partners together to achieve measurable outcomes by:

• developing clear priority-driven investment plans for digital health transformation;
• improving reporting and transparency of digital health resources;
• facilitating knowledge exchange and collaboration across regions and countries to accelerate progress;
• supporting whole-of-government approaches for digital health governance in countries; and
• increasing technical and financial support to the implementation of the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025 and its next phase.

WHO and partners have announced substantial commitments in cash and kind from multiple stakeholders to support the launch of this new Initiative.