In response to the 78th World Health Assembly’s (WHA) mandate, the World Health Organization (WHO) is consulting its Member States to develop the Global Strategy on Digital Health for 2028-2033.
On March 5, 2026, the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) hosted the “Regional Stakeholder Briefing on the Next Global Strategy on Digital Health (2028–2033)” to help shape the next global strategy for a people‑centred digital health transformation.
Mr. Jai Ganesh Udayasankaran, Executive Director of the Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN), participated in this virtual consultation. During the discussions, he shared insights from AeHIN’s experiences and collaborative work involving countries with varied digital health landscapes and maturity levels in the region.
In terms of changes in the digital health landscape over recent years and its current state, Udayasankaran noted that many countries now have national digital health strategies, as well as AI in Health strategies, leading to a multi-strategy scenario. In addition, some countries also have broader digital transformation plans that spans multiple sectors. He opined that there might be a need in the countries to align strategies to achieve convergence of purpose and coherence in the implementation approach.
Udayasankaran also mentioned that health data governance (HDG) and associated regulatory frameworks need to evolve and catch up quickly, given the rapid pace of AI developments and its uptake across countries. He emphasized the need and relevance of HDG as a foundation for the responsible use of AI in health and associated support to countries. AeHIN, in partnership with Transform Health, is currently working with three countries in the region to assess their legislative environments related to HDG and help build national consensus on the implementation roadmap.
In the next part of the discussion on enabling factors and opportunities for countries, Udayasankaran highlighted the importance of contextualizing a country’s needs, capacity, and ability to sustain national digital health programs without relying too heavily on external resources. He also discussed the importance of mapping existing opportunities and support mechanisms, such as access to financial resources and cross-sectoral cooperation, to optimize resources. Udayasankaran posed the question, “Who can help with what and how to build with each other?” That kind of guidance, if available, will be helpful because without a costed blueprint and resources aligned, countries face challenges in adequately and sustainably implementing their national strategies, he concluded.
Dilipkumar Hensman from the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) agreed, saying, “This all boils down to the how part. I think lots of countries are good with the what part, but who can help with what and how is left to be answered, and this is probably something which needs to be discussed further.”
AeHIN members in the Western Pacific Region are encouraged to respond to the WHO WPRO stakeholder survey. Access the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf67p3-yMSLWAtE1VrJs_XIEdaslGtx2_SJPRKubOhQ5jkhKg/viewform.