Digital Health and Technological Interventions
AUTHORS
Riya Gulati,LL.M (Intellectual Property & Information Technology) from University College Dublin, Ireland+ BA.LLB from Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University (Pune), India
ABSTRACT
Enhancing public health services is of considerable significance for the progression of any nation. As health constitutes an integral part of human development, it is thereby essential for the government to protect and promote health and prevent diseases by involving and empowering individuals, families, and communities to participate in awareness programs and decision-making processes. Moreover, prudently laying more investments in health services and resources that involve medical staff, hospitals, infrastructural facilities, research and development, and technology can effectively address the healthcare needs of diverse communities. Attainment of good health is essential to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aims to promote healthy lives and ensure well-being for all ages, targets achieving universal health coverage. India has already prioritized Digital Health in the National Health Policy 2017 in pursuit of the goals of SDGs relating to health. The Indian government has, time and again, taken initiatives to promote digital health/eHealth. The scope of digital health has been expanding rapidly, encompassing telemedicine, mobile health, electronic health records, wearable devices (Fitbit/smart watches), health information systems, and artificial intelligence. Digital health inventions have been designed to boost efficiency and accuracy, save time, and synthesize technologies in ways that are novel to health services. Additionally, it has provided quality healthcare services to the maximum number of citizens by leveraging the potential of IT to bypass impediments of accessibility, cost, and geography. Though digital health has revolutionized how healthcare services are delivered and accessed, challenges such as lack of digital literacy, absence of more necessary digital infrastructure and connectivity, data protection and security concerns, and ethical and legal issues still need to be addressed. This paper will emphasize Universal Health Coverage by corresponding it to technological interventions in the healthcare system. It will further assess the effectiveness of digital health by focusing on the benefits, challenges, and solutions.
KEYWORDS
eHealth, Health, Technology, Information and communication technology, Data protection, Privacy, Sustainable development goal 3
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