“Going digital for noncommunicable diseases: the case for action” published

Link copied successfully!

The report, launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

It serves as a blueprint for action, complementing the WHO Global Initiative on Digital Health and Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025.

Key findings of the Report

Non-Communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, are responsible for over 74% of global deaths annually.
- Impact of NCDs: Substantial economic burden, hindering SDGs, straining social security systems, productivity losses etc.
Digital Health Interventions (DHIs) include online programmes, mobile applications, virtual reality, telehealth and telemedicine, wearable devices, online counselling, and AI-based, big data-enabled applications to improve health.
Benefits of DHIs: An additional US$0.24 per patient per year in digital health interventions, including telemedicine, mobile messaging, and chatbots, could:
- Save over 2 million lives from NCDs over next decade.
- Avert approximately 7 million acute events and hospitalizations.
- Help realize an additional US$ 199 Billion in economic benefits.
- Provide a Return on Investment of US$ 19 for every US$ 1 invested.
To realize DHIs’ benefits, governments would have to invest US$ 1.6 per patient over 10 years on average.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission: Establishing a national digital health ecosystem with the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) Number.
e-Sanjeevani: World's largest documented telemedicine implementation in primary health care.
e-Hospital: Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) for internal workflows and processes of hospitals.
e-RAKTKOSH: Centralized blood bank management system.