Promoting Digital Health: Envisioning Strategic Partnerships within the G20

Strengthening digital health systems has been a growing priority for the G20 since the 2018 Argentine presidency.The period during and after the COVID-19 pandemic has seen a definite crystallisation of four key concerns. These are the need to: (i) work towards greater consistency and alignment in digital health policies and standards across the G20 member states; (ii) establish stronger data protection and security measures for health data, while also creating opportunities to pool or share data for research; (iii) develop interoperable digital systems that make for a more seamless experience; and (iv) create mechanisms that enable a coordinated response to health crises. This policy brief introduces these four ideas, provides a short overview of related deliberations at the G20, and recommends eight actions that member states can consider under taking to help build more robust and collaborative digital health systems. Each proposed action envisions a particular type of strategic partnership and joint intervention by the G20 nations.