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E-Health focus at ITU Telecom World in Dubai, 14-18 October
ITU teams up with WHO, Verizon and McKinsey for
key sessions on e-Health to save lives and cut costs
Geneva, 17 September 2012 – The importance of e-Health to
improving lives and healthcare delivery around the world will be a central topic
at ITU's leading global networking and knowledge-sharing event, ITU Telecom
World 2012, kicking off in Dubai 14-18 October.
ITU will join forces with fellow UN agency the World Health Organization
(WHO), major broadband telecommunications company Verizon, global management
consultancy McKinsey, and the government of Uganda in a series of sessions
focused on the opportunities and challenges of e-Health to save lives and
healthcare costs on an unprecedented scale internationally.
At ITU Telecom World 2012, ITU and WHO will lead the debate on the use of
mobile technology to combat non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer
and cardio-vascular diseases, in particular via text messaging and apps.
Non-communicable diseases are the single greatest factor contributing to
mortality and overall disease burden in developed countries and emerging
economies alike.
Verizon have partnered with ITU to present a session on the wider picture of
e-Health today and its ability to transform the quality and delivery of
healthcare. A high-profile panel including representatives of the ICT and
healthcare industries will debate the regulatory, commercial and social barriers
to be overcome if we are all to benefit from this transformation in the near
future.
Event partner McKinsey will co-host a cross-sector panel session featuring Dr
Oleg Chestnov, Assistant Director-General, WHO, to discuss the role of
business-to-consumer (B2C) applications in creating sustainable healthcare
systems and identifying the new business models and structural changes that will
bring about mass market adoption of e-Health applications globally.
The government of Uganda will also host a workshop on e-Health opportunities
at the event. Uganda, home to a large number of diverse pilot e- and
m-health interventions associated with accelerating the achievement of the UN's
Millennium Development Goals, will draw on its experience to highlight lessons
learnt and the need for interoperability and cross-sector cooperation.
“The depth and richness of the conference panel sessions at ITU Telecom World
2012, and the status and strength of the contributing panellists and supporting
event partners, are indicative of the central importance of e-Health in
improving delivery of healthcare and awareness around the world,” said ITU
Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré. “With new developments in mobile
technologies and the potential of m-Health, we can bring healthcare into the
palm of our hands, wherever we are in the world, revolutionizing lives and
impacting on economies.”
ITU Telecom World 2012 will be held in Dubai, UAE, 14-18 October.
For the full programme of events at ITU Telecom World 2012, please see:
http://yourspace2012.itu.int/agenda
Media Information:
ITU Telecom World 2012 is open to media. Accreditation is compulsory.
For accreditation and procedures, please see:
http://world2012.itu.int/media-accreditation
For more information, see
http://world2012.itu.int/
or contact:
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Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU
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Sally Moore
AxiCom
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Media Accreditation enquiries:
Soraya Abino Quintana
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