Sub-Theme 1   Technological Innovations to Strengthen Health Systems and Achieve Universal Health Coverage

The fourth industrial revolution, driven by technological change, is transforming health systems with innovative technologies such as AI, telehealth, Big Data analytics, and mobile health, which can enhance access, improve patient care, and promote self-management. These advancements support the global goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and improve public health. Despite the potential, barriers such as limited access to technology, data privacy concerns, and the risk of exacerbating inequities persist. The world is at a turning point and there is an urgent need for an accelerated response as recent reports indicate the world is off-track in meeting the goal of achieving UHC by 2030. Effective international collaboration is essential to harness these technologies responsibly. This sub-theme offers a platform for global health practitioners to discuss these challenges and explore opportunities for collaboration.

Given the above, ST1 aims to harness innovative technologies to improve public health and achieve Universal Health Coverage from a health systems perspective.

ST1 Sessions include:

Sub-Theme 2   Equity, Ethics, and Empowering the Vulnerable

To ensure that the health benefits of digital technologies and AI can be equally shared across populations, existing biases in healthcare services and systems based on race, ethnicity, age, and gender, which are encoded in data used to train algorithms, must be addressed.

Well-designed digital technologies and AI for health should be ‘people-centered’ and inclusive. There is a critical need to ensure equitable access for all individuals, particularly for those who may be marginalized or vulnerable and face barriers related to gender, ethnicity, geographical location, socioeconomic status, native language, or internet connectivity. Even as advancements in technology may substantially improve healthcare delivery, they also pose significant risks to the exacerbation of health inequalities, weakening of data privacy, and environmental sustainability.

Safeguarding the rights of individuals and promoting planetary health will require careful consideration of innovative policies and practices that are necessary to ensure an enabling environment for the ethical development and deployment of healthcare technologies.

ST2 seeks to explore overarching issues relating to equity, gender, ethics and society that will need to be addressed to effectively harness the power of digital technologies and AI to advance universal health coverage and realize the right to health for everyone.

Sub-Theme 3   Governance, Policy and Stewardship

In the dynamic field of digital health and AI, strong governance, policy, and stewardship are essential for responsible and equitable implementation. Global frameworks promoting international collaboration and standardization are necessary, involving public and private sectors and civil society. A robust regulatory environment and effective data governance at the national level are crucial to protect data ownership, privacy, and sovereignty. These measures ensure the ethical and secure use of health data, mitigate risks, and build trust. Multilevel governance and collaboration will ensure that AI and digital health technologies contribute to improved health outcomes for all.

Well-The main areas for further exploration under ST3 comprise global enabling ecosystem, national ecosystem, human capacity needs, and responsible use; cover the foundations for good governance, policy, and stewardship. digital technologies and AI for health should be ‘people-centered’ and inclusive. There is a critical need to ensure equitable access for all individuals, particularly for those who may be marginalized or vulnerable and face barriers related to gender, ethnicity, geographical location, socioeconomic status, native language, or internet connectivity. Even as advancements in technology may substantially improve healthcare delivery, they also pose significant risks to the exacerbation of health inequalities, weakening of data privacy, and environmental sustainability.

ST3 Sessions include: