Called the Strategic Partners’ Initiative for Data and Digital Health (SPI-DDH), the network aims to tackle issues related to the digital transformation of health systems and foster a future where patients and healthcare workers benefit from safe, affordable and person-centred digital technologies for health.

The network will convene more than 100 representatives of Member States; intergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental organisations; WHO collaborating centres for data and digital health; the private sector; and academic institutions.

As part of the network, SPI-DDH participants have formed four specialised working groups that will focus on:

• unlocking more capacity and access to healthcare with digitalisation and responsible artificial intelligence (AI);
• capitalising on data and digital technologies to bring healthcare and prevention into the home; 
• taking an ecosystem approach to standards and interoperability in healthcare; and
• strengthening public health with a focus on mental health and the health workforce.

Despite the promising potential of data and digital solutions for health, countries in the Region still experience challenges with financing, implementing and governing the digital transformation of their health systems. This includes poor health data interoperability and a lack of equitable opportunities for some of the most vulnerable communities. 

The agency’s report, ‘Digital health in the WHO European Region: The ongoing journey to commitment and transformation’, found that only up to 2 per cent of the total national health budget was allocated to digital transformation in the few countries who were even able to report this expenditure.

Only 35 per cent of Member States have policies addressing the use of big data and advanced analytics in the health sector. Moreover, patients and health workers report low levels of trust for digital solutions, with concerns related to privacy and security.  

“Our shared purpose that brings us together today is to create a new dialogue that engages the right stakeholders around the topics that matter most,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, at the SPI-DDH launch event in Copenhagen, Denmark, last month.

“No single entity can unleash the full potential of digital health and data. But through the knowledge and understanding cultivated through this platform, we can work together to ensure that the values of equity and human rights are at the core of health systems in a digital era.”

In her closing remarks, Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, director of the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems at WHO/Europe, commented: “The diversity of expertise here, as well as the conversations that took place today, assure me that we’re on the right path to creating robust and person-centred health systems in the digital era.”

The work of the SPI-DDH will be driven by Member States’ priorities and informed by the latest scientific research and evidence-based practices, aligning with WHO’s Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025 and the Regional Digital Health Action Plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030.