People-centric health innovations in focus at G-20 meeting in Panaji

The third day of the Health Working Group meeting on Wednesday under India's G20 Presidency witnessed engaging technical sessions on digital health innovations with a people-centric approach, and the issue of digital divide among others.

In line with the "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" or "One Earth, One Family, One Future," theme of India G20 Presidency, the discussions emphasised the country's commitment to "healthcare for all" through vibrant global and local collaborations.

Three panel discussions were held on the issue with the first focusing on "Innovations in Healthcare - Health service delivery aided by Technology Interventions", a health ministry statement said.

The session saw health experts pushing for a lifecycle-care framework where open-source software can enable data innovations, it said.

Suggestions such forming a central organisation/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, the statement said.

Stakeholders also emphasised the need to make concerted efforts to demystify technology and build trust among citizens through legislation on data privacy and other checks.

In this regard, the member states and invitee countries shared their best practices and ongoing efforts towards utilising digital health in their health governance.

The second session -- 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.

It was discussed that highly interoperable systems are needed, and for national digital transformation, nations must focus on a person-centered digital journey, the statement said.

Best practices from India such as the National NCD portal for tracking non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and e-Sanjeevani teleconsultation services were also showcased, the statement stated.

The third session -- Digital Public Goods (DPGs) to bridge the Digital Divide -- highlighted the critical element of democratising digital public goods.

The speakers concurred that investments in DPGs can reap multifold benefits, and in addition to that, it was suggested that expert knowledge facilitated by digital interventions must be democratised as well.

On the conclusion of the side event, participants thanked the G20 Presidency of India for providing the platform where these ideas could be efficiently shared.