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.
India’s Digital Health Interventions
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