25-27 April 2023, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
Background
In 2018, WHO AFRO, HQ and the ITU mobilized international development partners towards the development of a Digital Health Learning programme for officials responsible for Digital Health Transformation at the national level. The learning programme also targeted ITU national counter parts in the Ministries of ICT and Telecommunication authorities. These efforts led to the development of a Digital Health course referred to as the Digital Health Leadership course hosted at the ITU Academy[1]. Two regional trainings were held in Lesotho[2] in November/December of 2018 (Anglophone) with the support of USAID and ITU, and in Benin in November/December of 2018 (Francophone) with the support of GIZ/German Development Cooperation. These trainings attracted 14 and 12 Countries in the African region, respectively.
In 2019, with the support of the USAID and other development partners, WHO and the ITU worked together to develop a short version of the Digital Health leadership course, which has come to be termed as the Digital Health: Planning National Systems course. The course has since attracted over 400 learners from across the globe.
In 2020, a number of development partners including the USAID, PEPFAR, BMGF, The World Bank, PATH, Botnar Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, McGovern Foundation, etc. worked with the WHO and the ITU to develop a lifelong learning course which built on the afore mentioned courses. This programme became known as the Digital Health Applied Leadership Program[3]. A pilot of the program has since been rolled out in five African countries, with the support of two Universities – the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda and the University of Thiès in Senegal.
Current efforts
In 2023, WHO and the ITU, together with development partners, plan to consolidate lessons learnt and materials to further strengthen the learning courses. A review meeting has been proposed to be scheduled in Brazzaville from 25-27 April, 2023. The meeting is intended to bring together various donors and actors contributing to the WHO – ITU digital health learning progamme.
Objectives of the meeting
The meeting objectives are as follows:
- To review progress made in the implementation of the WHO – ITU learning programme
- To discuss opportunities to strengthen the WHO – ITU learning programme
- To discuss programme governance mechanisms, including certification and accreditation in line with the upcoming WHO Digital HealthCompetency Framework
- To develop a joint roadmap for the programme in 2023
Expected outputs
The following are expected outputs from the meeting:
- WHO – ITU Digital Health learning programme lessons learnt report
- Draft WHO – ITU Digital Health learning programme governance mechanism, certification and accreditation processes
- Draft 2023-2025 Digital Health learning programme roadmap
Agenda
Day 1:
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Registration of participants |
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Security briefing and logistics |
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Introduction of participants and the workshop objectives Objectives, expected outputs and outcomes, agenda and methods, context, and general information. |
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Welcome and Opening Remarks |
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Group photo session |
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Global and Regional Perspectives on Digital Health WHOs work on Digital Health - Global and Regional Perspectives and Key Priorities in Digital Health Capacity Building. |
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WHO AFRO Directors Open discussion |
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The Digital Health Capacity Building Program |
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Digital Health lessons learned and stock- take of achievements Celebration of achievements and sharing of publications, lessons learned, challenges and successes. 1. Briefing summary of theory of change and training provided from 2019 to 2022 (1 hr presentation + 30 min discussion) 2. Presentation of WHO/ITU/USAID/PATH/TechChange Digital Health Course Evaluation (20 min presentation + 10 min discussion) |
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