Description of Session
Digital innovation can no longer be considered separately from health service delivery. Achieving universal health care (UHC) by 2030, as put forward in Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3), will only be accomplished by leveraging digital and frontier technologies. A collective vision, commitment, and partnerships that bridge programmatic isolation and siloed approaches are needed to achieve UHC and SDG3. Ensuring access to quality health care for all also demands equitable participation and inclusion of disempowered, vulnerable and low-resource populations/groups; responsible and aligned investments; and, harmonized tools and approaches. Representatives from a new coalition formed to leverage artificial intelligence (AI), digital and frontier technologies to achieve UHC, will come together on this panel to discuss their global movement. Panelists will discuss the global risks that will be amplified if these technologies aren’t thoughtfully embraced, the benefits gained through their use, and the Coalition’s call to action. Additionally, the panel will share the Coalition’s objectives to build a consistent effort around advocacy, communications and accountability for AI, digital and frontier technologies in order to ensure that they are a positive catalyst for the 2030 UHC agenda. These objectives include: • Improving alignment and investment in digital technologies. • Increasing action for data to be recognized as a public good. • Empowering adolescents to meet their health needs by leveraging technologies. • Enhancing women’s role and participation – especially in removing gender bias. The panel will share use-case examples, describe specific digital and frontier technologies that are effective today, and share what the global digital health community can start doing now to move closer to the global UHC vision. The panel will be moderated by Dykki Settle, Chief Digital Officer at PATH. The three presentations on this panel will be: 1. Coalition Representative: presenting the Coalition, its call to action, objectives, and current context. 2. PATH/Foundation Botnar: presenting frontier technology use cases and the necessity of country engagement. 3. Jhpiego: presenting a program example, with a particular focus on youth/gender and capacity building for a digitally enabled future.
