Top panel (left to right): Dilipkumar Hensman from WHO WPRO, Jai Ganesh Udayasankaran from AeHIN, and Dr. Alvin Marcelo from UPM SILab; Bottom panel (left to right): Dr. Sunny Ibeneme from UNICEF EAPRO, Anis Fuad from UGM, and Kristin Pascual from AeHIN
The Asia eHealth Information Network hosted the virtual panel discussion ‘Scaling Country Lessons: How Digital Health Convergence Workshops can inform Global Strategy’ during the 2nd Global Convening of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) on July 17, 2025.
To set the stage for discussions, Mr. Jai Ganesh Udayasankaran, Executive Director of AeHIN and moderator of the session, provided context by introducing the Digital Health Convergence Workshops (DHCW).
He defined DHCWs as a country-specific government-led event that brings together all stakeholders relevant in the development, implementation, and update of the national digital health strategy/blueprint.
He explained how AeHIN together with partners, helped convene 14 convergence workshops in 10 countries by working with the Government often the Ministry of Health leadership, sharing templates, designing workshop agenda based on country needs and priorities, identifying and enlisting key stakeholders, mobilizing funds and resource persons or subject matter experts, providing guidance and recommending action steps as well as documenting the workshop outputs and assisting countries with follow-up activities.
Mr. Udayasankaran also discussed what DHCWs are, who to coordinate and involve, their step-by-step process from request to follow-up, when they can be utilized, how countries can benefit from and customize them based on their country’s needs, and how countries can use the outputs of their DHCWs to inform their digital health strategies.
In the first round of discussions, the panelists discussed how convergence workshops can help countries in their digital health strategies, identified recurring priority areas and challenges from DHCWs, illustrated the collaboration and coordination process with partners on conducting DHCWs, and explained how standards and interoperability adoption can be scaled and accelerated in the health sector.
Mr. Anis Fuad, Population Health Informatics Researcher at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia, shared Indonesia’s experience in convening DHCWs. He stated that DHCWs are a good example of bringing together member countries, stakeholders, and civil society in Indonesia and the ASEAN to learn from one another, reflect on what has been achieved and what remains to be achieved in Indonesia’s current digital health blueprint, and formulate the country’s next blueprint.
Ms. Kristin Pascual, Projects Manager at AeHIN, presented the Digital Health Convergence Workshop Toolkit v 1.2 microsite and shared the recurring priorities and challenges identified in DHCWs, including the use of AeHIN’s Mind the GAPS-Fill the GAPS framework in identifying priority areas, blueprint development and implementation, external partnerships, and capacity building.
Dr. Sunny Ibeneme, Health Specialist (Digital Health) from UNICEF East Asia Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), highlighted AeHIN’s crucial role in leading DHCW coordinations, as well as the close working relationship between UNICEF and AeHIN, and their agreement to support country efforts, such as DHCWs. Dr. Ibeneme also mentioned the DHCW in Mongolia as an example of good working experience with AeHIN, underscoring that a DHCW is not just ceremonial; it involves planning and concerted efforts.
Dr. Alvin Marcelo, Convener of the University of the Philippines Manila Standards and Interoperability Lab (UPM SILab), shared that converting aspiration for interoperability from DHCWs to an actual working interoperability system is challenging, but countries can exchange ideas, tools, and frameworks with other countries, work with the government on a DHCW, identify interoperability aspirations of the country, and establish a standard and interoperability lab in the government or university, then collaborate with AeHIN for trainings. In the context of UPM SILab, Dr. Marcelo mentioned that they are learning from Australia and are using the Learn, Build, Connect Framework, where ‘learning’ involves training from HL7; ‘building’ entails writing codes and APIs with the right tools and software to apply them, as well as testing through FHIRlab; and ‘connect’ uses connectathons with the community of practice to connect stakeholders, from the government to developers to end-users.
The second round of discussions focused on the moderator’s questions regarding how DHCWs can facilitate interoperability efforts and how countries can apply the DHCW to support efforts to ‘build back better’ in line with the event’s theme.
Mr. Fuad talked about the One Health antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and data systems interoperability, which is a project they have received to develop standards for AMR reporting, highlighting that the standards and interoperability component of DHCWs works to continue collaboration and apply interoperability in real-life settings.
Dr. Ibeneme emphasized the key steps to a DHCW, as well as the use of the AeHIN GAPS Framework for governance, the need to build capacity and infrastructure, invest in IT frameworks, and have a robust engagement with stakeholders for digital transformation.
Following the two rounds of conversation with the panelists, Mr. Udayasankaran wrapped up the session. In his closing remarks, he explained how AeHIN’s Convergence Workshop approach aligns with the four pillars of the GIDH by drawing parallels with AeHIN’s GAPS Framework used during the Convergence Workshops and GIDH’s Country Needs Tracker, AeHIN’s Convergence Workshop Microsite with GIDH’s Country Resource Portal, how the artefacts and services from the Standards and Interoperability Labs (SIL) can contribute to GIDH’s Transformation Toolbox and AeHIN’s Regional capacity-building/trainings, Communities of Practice (CoP) and the General Meetings (GM) fits the Convening & Knowledge Exchange aspects of GIDH. He concluded by thanking the panelists, participants, and the WHO.