Commonwealth, EU ministerial event on digital health

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health (CWCDH) and the European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance) held a successful ministerial event in Geneva, Switzerland on 20 May.

The session took place the day after the Commonwealth Health Ministers’ Meeting and during the World Health Assembly which attracts health leaders from around the globe.

The private and invitation-only dinner connected stakeholders (governments, research institutes, industry, economic development agencies and others) from many countries and deepened the ties between the Commonwealth and ECHAlliance.

CWCDH Chair Prof. Vajira Dissanayake said: “Our objective since creating this initiative last year is to accelerate the deployment and scale-up of digital health and care solutions, and encourage collaboration across 78 countries with a combined population of 4.6 billion citizens.

“We agreed on an action plan that emphasises practical cooperation in the key areas of digital skills and learning, the expansion of the successful ECHAlliance Ecosystem Model and the provision of services within the networks.

Prof. Vajira Dissanayake added: “The sharing of experiences over the first year of our partnership has identified specific opportunities. I am very impressed with the enthusiasm for innovative collaborations across Commonwealth countries and the desire for two-way business with Europe, USA and China. We have just begun to unearth some of the many opportunities and are now determined to deliver real successes.”

The Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health (CWCDH) is a not for profit organisation, working closely with the Commonwealth Medical Association, working together to link Commonwealth countries and realise the potential for digital health to transform and strengthen their health systems. The Commonwealth is made up of 53 independent countries with a combined population of 2.4 billion, of which more than 60% is aged 29 or under. The Commonwealth spans the globe and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. It encompasses Africa (19 countries), Asia (7), the Caribbean and Americas (13), Europe (3), and the Pacific (11).

The European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance) is the trusted connector, facilitating multi-stakeholder connections around ecosystems, driving sustainable change and disruption in the delivery of health and social care. Our community gathers over 650+ member organisations and more than 16,500 experts – including government, health and social care providers, leading companies and start-ups, researchers, insurances, patients and citizens, and the investment community – through ecosystems meetings (120+ per year), international events and the online platform, ‘Connector’.

Active in more than 25 regions/countries (Europe, USA, Canada, China), ECHAlliance members develop innovative solutions around mobile health, chronic diseases, active and healthy ageing, Internet of Things, wearables, personalised medicine, genomics, Big Data, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.