Dr. Tedros Adhanom, WHO Director General spoke at opening session of the Peking University Global Health and Development Forum 2021:

Distinguished guests, dear colleagues and friends. At the same time, we have also seen the power of digital technologies to improve health care delivery and help us take on this global trends. They have been used to screen populations, track people who have been infected and monitor the flow and supply of critical health resources. Digital technologies can be used to strengthen primary health care and to prevent the spread or resurgent of new  diseases.

South-South cooperation can be an important factor in facilitating equitable access of digital technologies to low and middle income countries. But while digital technology holds great promise, in the end, it's only a tool. It is up to us to use it wisely. We must address the disparity in access quality and safe use of digital health technologies in low income and underserved communities. And an overarching challenge is to preserve the privacy, safety, and integrity of individual health data.

WHO’s global strategy on digital health is designed to help countries adapt this 21st century tool as part of their journey toward the universal health coverage, while strengthening governance and data protection with the right oversight and regulatory guidance. Digital health can be a powerful tool for building a healthier, safer, and fairer world.