Overview and Context

The potential of digital health in Nepal is significant to bridge the gaps across the health system components. Digital technologies can significantly facilitate the delivery of personalised and longitudinal care; they can aid in efficiently managing public health inputs and resources, drive data and evidence-driven policies and plans, and accentuate health accountability endeavours by linking people with the health systems.

Nepal's evolving digital health ecosystem reflects a blend of donor-supported but government-led initiatives, non-governmental projects, and private-sector investments, all aimed at leveraging the latest digital technologies to improve the health and well-being of the citizens. However, their designs and deployments are not always thought through holistically, resulting in isolated implementation of technologies.

Digital solutions are often considered ‘add-ons’ rather than central components that can deliver on the state’s promise of health to the people by connecting health system components, amplifying people’s voices and participation, enhancing health service delivery, and efficiently managing public health resources.

Furthermore, the fragile regulatory environment prevents the effective adoption of technologies.

Focus of the Symposium

The Digital Health Symposium 2024 departs from past digital health events and focuses beyond individual software and hardware applications.

Broader themes include understanding how digital technologies, when adequately and strategically deployed, support the overarching public health goals and empower people; setting up adequate institutions and building capacities; resourcing and financing digital health; and developing and enforcing legal provisions and data standards, interoperability, and linking digital technology to health policies and strategies.

The symposium recognises the need to establish collaborative links among digital health practitioners and policymakers.

Symposium Goal and Objectives:

The main goal of the Digital Health Symposium 2024 is to foster an understanding of how digital technologies help bridge gaps in health systems and how to deploy technologies and regulate them effectively. To support the main goal, the symposium has the following specific objectives:

• Orienting the audience on people-centred-digital technologies
• Holistic thinking on digital health design and deployment
• Promoting interoperability and data standards
• Supporting the development of regulatory and policy frameworks
• Fostering collaboration among stakeholders

Symposium Themes:

• Understanding digital health and developing holistic thinking
• Regulatory Environment and Policy Alignment
• Institutional Capacity Building and Resource Allocation
• Interoperability and Technology Integration
• Collaboration between Practitioners and Policymakers
• Technology Roadshow

Symposium Structure

• Pre-Symposium meetings and workshops

• Three-day Symposium: -Keynotes and presentations, roundtable and panel discussions, policy dialogues, workshops, exhibition, technology roadshow

• The Symposium will be attended by technology developers, users, international practitioners, health managers, policymakers, political leaders, students and CSOs

• One-day debrief meeting and signing of the Symposium declaration

• The action plan will be made public through a website, and the Swasthya Khabar Foundation conducts continuous progress tracking