WSIS Action Line C7: E-health - Fostering foundations for digital health transformation in the age of AI


World Health Organization and International Telecommunication Union

Session 256

Monday, 7 July 2025 14:00–14:45 (UTC+02:00) Physical (on-site) and Virtual (remote) participation Room G, Palexpo Interactive Action Line Facilitation Meeting

In May 2025, the 78th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) endorsed the extension of the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020 – 2025 (GSDH) until 2027 and its renewal from 2028 – 2033. Member States highlighted priority areas such as digital and data governance, interoperability, digital infrastructure, equitable access to patient-centric technologies, digital health literacy and workforce capacity development. A digital health transformation based on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPIs), can enable health systems to leverage foundational infrastructure such as digital IDs, digital payment and data exchange. When combined with health specific DPIs such as health facility and health worker registries these systems can significantly enhance the quality, efficiency, and reach of health services, paving the way for person-centered care.  

However, despite this potential, investments in DPIs remain limited and the reasons for this vary. Some countries have the necessary digital health maturity but lack the necessary alignment of resources, while others lack the digital health maturity such as governance, leadership, infrastructure, and have in the interim focused on disease specific applications and tools. This session will explore how countries and partners can future proof the digital health system for a DPI-based transformation, avoiding vertical investments that do not promote or enable (future) data exchange.  

Objectives:

1.       Share updates and insights about the changing perception and priorities of digital transformation in ICT and health sectors.

2.       Share updates about the extension and renewal of the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025.

3.       Share insights and updates on priorities in global digital health transformation, including the Reference Architecture for Digital Public Infrastructure for Health. 

4.       Share information and updates about the operationalization of the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH).

Panellists
Dr. Derrick Muneene
Dr. Derrick Muneene Unit Head, Capacity Building and Partnerships Unit, Department of Digital Health and Innovation WHO, Switzerland Moderator

Dr. Derrick Muneene is Head of Capacity Building and Collaboration of the Digital Health and Innovation Department at the WHO Headquarters, Geneva. He has 25 years of progressive experience in global digital health, global public health informatics, digital health governance & literacy and digital health capacity building. He holds a PhD and an MSc in Public Health, an MSc in Computer Science along with various project management certifications such as PRINCE2 and project+. Previously, he served as the regional mHealth and eHealth advisor for the WHO Regional Office for Africa, where he supported 47 African countries with the adoption of eHealth strategies and eHealth solutions. Before this, he served with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as acting branch chief for Health Informatics and Health Systems Analysts / Health Applications Manager.


Mr. Hani Eskandar
Mr. Hani Eskandar Projects Implementation Lead ITU, Switzerland

Mr. Eskandar is the Projects Implementation Lead in areas of Digital Services and Digital Transformation at the Telecommunication Development Bureau of ITU. Mr. Eskandar is currently involved in providing assistance to several developing countries by advising on digital applications and services strategies and policies, assisting in implementing technical co-operation projects in areas of digital governance, health, agriculture, and education. Mr Eskandar is currently leading major projects on digital government, open source for public services, digital health, digital agriculture, and smart villages in collaboration with several governments, UN agencies and other stakeholders. He has led the development of several guidelines and best practices reports on digital applications particularly on digital Government, digital Health and digital Agriculture.

Mr. Eskandar has more than 30 years of extensive on-the-ground experience in the field of ICT for Development where he, through working with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent in Switzerland and, UNDP, Ministry of ICT and other NGOs in Egypt, was involved in several development projects in the fields of Health, Education, Illiteracy Eradication, Community Development, SME development and Micro Credits. 

Mr. Eskandar has an educational background in Electrical Engineering (Telecommunications) and has completed an MBA from McGill University, Canada and a Master Degree in Social and Economic Development Studies from University of Paris I, France. 


Mr. Innocent Chiboma
Mr. Innocent Chiboma Principal ICT Officer (Digital Health) Ministry of Health Zambia Remote Panellist

Innocent Chiboma is a seasoned Digital Health Expert with over 20 years of transformative work in Zambia's digital health landscape. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Computing and an MBA in Technology Management, seamlessly blending technical know-how with strategic foresight. At the Ministry of Health, Innocent has played a pivotal role in implementing systems like the National Electronic Health Record System (SmartCare), the Laboratory Information System (DISALAB*), and the Electronic Logistics Information System (eLMIS), significantly advancing data management and patient care across the country.

In addition to leading the development of Zambia's 2022-2026 Digital Health Strategy and the Health Data Governance Framework, he spearheaded the reorganization of the Digital Health Technical Working Group. As Principal ICT Officer for Digital Health,  has unwavering commitment to innovation and his global contributions position him as a transformative figure in digital health.


Mr. Jai Ganesh Udayasankaran
Mr. Jai Ganesh Udayasankaran Executive Director Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN) Remote Panellist

Jai Ganesh Udayasankaran is the Executive Director of Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN). He has over 20 years of experience in planning, procurement, implementation of a wide spectrum of enterprise digital health solutions including web-based Hospital Information Systems (HIS), Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), telemedicine, tele-education, and chronic disease management portals. He is a member of the Board of Global Digital Health Network (GDHN), eHealth Expert Committee of Global South eHealth Observatory from Fondation Pierre Fabre, International Standards Organization (ISO) Working Group TC 215/TF 7 on Telehealth and Virtual Care (TVC) Standards, ISO 27269 (IPS) FDIS Revision, Health Informatics Sectional Committee and Subcommittees on Disability Informatics and Telehealth of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). He is an adjunct faculty at the Department of Health Information Management from Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), India. He has been a resource person for national Health Information Systems (HIS) Strengthening and Digital Health Convergence Workshops facilitated by Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN) together with the Ministry of Health and partners in South-East Asian and Western Pacific regional countries.


Mr. Steven Wanyee
Mr. Steven Wanyee President Health Informatics in Africa, Kenya

Steven Wanyee, is a digital health specialist with over 25 years experience at the “frontlines'' of implementing digital interventions, services and applications in health predominantly in over 20 Low to Medium Income Countries (LMICs) in Africa. His work spans across the entire spectrum of digital transformation in health technology solution development and deployment at scale; Policy, strategy and guidelines development including an enterprise approach to digital health; Informatics workforce development; Promoting and supporting adoption and use of standards such as HL7 FHIR.

Globally, he works closely with organizations contributing significantly to development of global digital health that include WHO, World Bank, US and Africa CDC, GIZ, Global Fund, Gates Foundation, McGovern Foundation among many others. One of his current projects is supporting AfricaCDC to refresh its Digital Transformation Strategy, develop a Health Data Governance Framework and establish the first Standards, AI and Interoperability Lab in Africa. 

His current roles include;

●      President of the Pan African Health Informatics in Africa (HELINA)

●      Founder Secretary General of the Kenya Health Informatics Association (KeHIA)

●      Board Member of the OpenMRS Inc. Board of Directors

●      Member of the OpenHIE Architecture Advisory Board

●      Founder and CEO of IntelliSOFT Consulting Limited

Steven is a holder of a Masters degree in software engineering from the University of Liverpool, UK and health information administration, biomedical and health informatics from the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. He is currently a health informatics PhD Student with strong research interests in AI powered Decision Support. 


Ms. Surabhi Joshi
Ms. Surabhi Joshi Technical Officer, Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, Rehabilitation and Disability (NCD Department) World Health Organization, Switzerland Remote Panellist

Surabhi Joshi is a Technical Officer at the World Health Organization’s Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, Rehabilitation and Disability (NCD Department) in Geneva, where she works at the intersection of digital health and noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention and care. With over 15 years of experience in global public health, Surabhi brings a strong focus on equity, inclusion, and human-centred design to the development and scale-up of digital solutions that support healthier lives. She currently supports the Be He@lthy Be Mobile (BHBM) initiative and WHO’s work on digital health for NCDs. Surabhi holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, and a Master’s in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India.


Topics
Capacity Building Digital Divide Digital Inclusion Digital Skills Digital Transformation Global Digital Compact (GDC) Health
WSIS Action Lines
  • AL C7 E–HEA logo C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life — E-health
Sustainable Development Goals
  • Goal 3 logo Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all
  • Goal 5 logo Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
  • Goal 9 logo Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
  • Goal 10 logo Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
  • Goal 17 logo Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
GDC Objectives
  • Objective 1: Close all digital divides and accelerate progress across the Sustainable Development Goals