Brasilia, April 7, 2024 – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) advocated for the expansion of equitable access to digital health, during a technical meeting held today in Brasilia, Brazil.
The event was organized within the scope of the G20, an international forum made up of 19 countries and two regional bodies, whose Presidency is currently held by the Brazilian government.
The meeting sought to build consensus on the operationalization mechanisms of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH), which is a collaborative WHO managed network of organizations, institutions and government technical agencies engaged in this sector. Participants also addressed the need to scale up accessibility, with greater investment in connectivity, cybersecurity, and digital public infrastructure for health.
During the meeting, the Director for the Department of Digital Health and Innovation at WHO, Alain Labrique, highlighted the importance of countries being in the driver seat of their own digital health transformation and reinforced the Organization's support through the GIDH to improve, in a sustainable manner, the health of their populations. “We recognize that people deserve better by building the necessary foundation from which equitable, inclusive and high-quality digital health systems can thrive”, he noted.
Marcelo D’Agostino, Unit Chief for Information Systems and Digital Health at PAHO, praised Brazil for its solidarity in sharing knowledge, resources, and tools. “The only way to achieve success is by working together as a network, seeking health for all, digital health for all. Every country has something to share and something to learn,” he stated.
G20
The Group of Twenty (G20) is a forum for international economic cooperation that focuses on topics such as health, trade, sustainable development, agriculture, energy, environment, and climate change.
The G20 is made up of 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brasil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Russia, Türkiye, United Kingdom and USA) and two regional bodies: the African Union and the European Union.
