Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Context: The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) virtually, in line with one of the priority areas agreed upon during India’s G20 presidency in 2023.
- The initiative aims to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and digital health products among countries.
- GIDH will prioritize assessing Member States’ needs, evaluating digital health resources, supporting the achievement of strategic objectives, and building capacity for digital health technologies.
- It will address variability in digital solutions by promoting best practices and standards.
It will function as a “Network of Networks,” focusing on four foundational pillars:
- Country Needs Tracker – facilitating digital health investments to be informed by country priorities;
- Country Resource Portal– identifying traditional as well as innovative resource opportunities, and promoting transparency, while reducing the risk of duplication for enabling a standards-based prospective and retrospective analysis of resourcing gaps in digital health.
- Transformation Toolbox– advocating for quality-assured tools and resources that strengthen the country’s capacity and autonomy to manage the national digital health transformation.
- Convening and Knowledge Exchange– promoting strengthened collaboration and knowledge exchange across global, regional, and national networks in digital health.
