The George Institute for Global Health, in partnership with the Australian High Commission, deliberated on the future of digital health in the country.

At a roundtable Australian and Indian health experts, policymakers and business leaders came together to discuss the solutions required in health services delivery, advances in medical health and digital technologies, regulatory challenges and implementation experiences in both countries. The roundtable is one of the first activities to be held under the Health MoU exchanged between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Turnbull in April this year.

According to Dr. Vivekanand Jha, Executive Director,  George Institute for Global Health in India, India has recently launched the National Health Policy 2017 which articulates the need for increasing access, improving quality and lowering the cost of healthcare delivery.

During discussions, Chris Elstoft, Acting High Commissioner for Australia, noted Australia’s leadership in delivering secure, quality, health services with the aid of digital technology, and the establishment of the Australian Digital Health Agency to support this.

Jill Hennessy, Health Minister of the State of Victoria in Australia said that a  key investment in Victoria is the electronic referral (eReferral) program, which has enabled health professionals to share clinical information securely in the delivery of health services.

A summary of recommendations from the roundtable will be submitted for consideration to the bilateral Senior Officials Working Group on Health and Medicine that will meet in June this year.