Health innovation, tech and digital public goods were discussed during panel discussion at G20 event
2 min read . Updated: 19 Apr 2023, 07:34 PM IST
PremiumThe speakers concurred that investments in DPGs can reap multifold benefits, and in addition to DPGs, it was suggested that expert knowledge facilitated by digital interventions must be democratized as well, health ministry said
NEW DELHI : The 3rd day of the 2nd Health Working Group meeting under India’s G20 Presidency being organised in Goa witness series of technical sessions on digital health innovations, healthcare technology and Digital Public Goods (DPGs) to emphasie India’s commitment to “healthcare for all" through vibrant global and local collaborations.
The first session focused on “Innovations in Healthcare" during which health experts pushed for a lifecycle-care framework where open-source software can enable data innovations.
“Suggestions such as a central organization or coalition in the world to guide national governments, along with regional implementation hubs, paradigm shift towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and AGI-enabled Digital public goods were put forward. Stakeholders also echoed concerted efforts to demystify technology and build trust among citizens through data privacy legislations and other checks, with interventions shared by G20 member states and invitee countries, showcasing their best practices and ongoing efforts towards utilizing digital health in their health governance," said the union health ministry in a statement.
The second session on “Technology aiding Continuing of care - Harnessing the potential of real-world data/evidence for better patient outcomes" explored various thought-provoking aspects of technological tools and how they can be used in better patient care delivery.
The third session on “Digital Public Goods (DPGs) to bridge the Digital Divide" highlighted the critical element of democratizing digital public goods.
“The speakers concurred that investments in DPGs can reap multifold benefits, and in addition to DPGs, it was suggested that expert knowledge facilitated by digital interventions must be democratized as well," the ministry said.
It was noted that governance and policy help scale DPGs nationally and internationally, while technology helps scale DPGs at the local and regional levels. Thus, robust health data governance can remove bottlenecks to the development of a global digital health ecosystem. It was also noted that the care is universal, and making user-intuitive platforms according to local needs must remain a priority.
As the event concluded, participants thanked the G20 Presidency of India for providing the platform where these ideas could be efficiently shared.