ITU's 160 anniversary

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Contributing to Digital Public Infrastucture (DPI) for Health

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BHBM and Digital Public Infrastructure for Health

Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3)—ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages—requires not only innovative digital health solutions but also their effective integration into national health systems. As countries accelerate efforts toward digital health transformation, a key enabler often remains underdeveloped: reliable, scalable, and interoperable digital infrastructure.

Without this foundational layer, even the most promising digital health initiatives risk becoming fragmented or unsustainable. Digital health solutions must operate within a broader ecosystem—one that supports interoperability, reusability, and integration with national systems.

Recognizing this, the Be He@lthy, Be Mobile (BHBM) initiative is actively working to support countries in designing and implementing digital health interventions that not only address immediate health needs but also contribute to the creation and strengthening of national digital public infrastructure for health.

Rather than promoting siloed tools, BHBM focuses on solutions that are aligned with broader digital public infrastructure—interconnected, standards-based, and scalable—unlocking the potential for new services and functionalities across health systems.

As part of this systems-oriented approach, BHBM is:

  • Promoting the development and adoption of open-source solutions and digital public goods for health that are scalable, interoperable, and aligned with global best practices and standards.
  • Supporting the emergence of local, cross-sector ecosystems, including public-private partnerships, to foster innovation and long-term sustainability.
  • Developing technical requirements and guidance for essential digital public infrastructure building blocks—such as registries, identity systems, and data exchange layers—ensuring that health sector needs are well-represented in national digital strategies.

Through these efforts, BHBM is helping countries move beyond isolated digital interventions toward a more connected, resilient, and equitable digital health future.