The implementation of digital health has been very limited in our country. There have been instances of trying to develop digital health but due to the coup, most of them are currently static.
Most of the private hospitals start using EMR, but the systems are siloed with lack of interoperability among them.
These are the areas needed to improve and strengthen for preparedness of pandemics in our country-
Team – Team of various stakeholders (including community) should be formed to follow agreed on procedures and policies for digital health, ensuring every party is on the same page.
Collaboration and coordination platforms should be present for seamless information flow within country. Designated focal points for international communication of disease outbreaks.
Capacity building for digital literacy and data security should be given at regular intervals.
Transparency and trust – Adoption and acceptance of digital health by citizens needs transparency and trust. Empowering citizens with their data, including consideration of policies such as ‘The Right to be forgotten’. Ensure that the surveillance systems combine an effective public health response with respect for ethical and privacy principles. A clear separation between science and policy has to be made to build trust.
Technology- Leverage digital technologies to collect, analyze, utilize and share data for deeper insights for future health preparedness and interventions.
Techquity – Consider other dimensions of health (geographic, socio-economic status and education, etc) to mitigate digital inequities. These should be addressed through policy work, national investment for digital and technology access.
Transformation – As mentioned in the reading document, “Think locally and act globally” is an important aspect to consider for successful digital health transformation. We should adopt and customize technologies to be locally acceptable and to be globally interoperable to gain high return on investment.
All in all, for our country I think all five themes are needed to be developed or strengthened for future pandemics preparedness and response.
