Kingston, Jamaica, 30 July 2024 (PAHO) - The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), hosted an international meeting in Kingston from July 23-25 titled "Caribbean Connect: Building the Pan-American Highway for Digital Health." The event aimed to engage Caribbean leaders and technical experts in sharing their strategies and experiences in the digital transformation of the health sector, while also enhancing communities of practice across the sub-region.
The Pan-American Highway for Digital Health is a collaborative effort between the IDB and PAHO, which seeks to enhance digital collaboration, eliminate healthcare barriers, and provide seamless access to clinical information across borders. This initiative builds on the foundation laid in 2016 when the Information Systems for Health (IS4H) initiative was launched in Kingston, Jamaica.
"We are excited about the potential of this initiative to revolutionize healthcare in our region," noted Ian Stein, PAHO/WHO Jamaica representative. "By fostering cross-border interoperability, this initiative will ensure that individuals, regardless of location, have access to high-quality, safe, and efficient healthcare. It stands as a testament to our commitment to advancing digital health technologies and addressing public health challenges."
Guest speaker, Dr. Christopher Tufton, Minister of Health and Wellness, emphasized the responsibility of Ministers of Health, along with their governments, to ensure that vulnerable and underserved populations are reached. "Our digital transformation journey has not been simple or straightforward. Many aspects are new to us, and we are still exploring and learning to understand the strategies and opportunities that would best suit Jamaica’s context in terms of governance, resources, geography, and other elements."
Since its inception, the IS4H initiative has made considerable progress despite challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the region boasts solid action plans, with many countries advancing robust digital health strategies and national digital health agendas. The Pan-American Highway for Digital Health represents the next phase of this journey, providing a roadmap for the digital transformation of the health sector through 2030.
Anton Edmunds, Manager for the Caribbean Region at IDB, stated, "We are clear-eyed that beyond building roads and bridges, beyond investing in corporates and startups to encourage economic resilience and promote job growth, we must work to support improvements in the health sector, and the digitalization of this sector is a priority."
The Pan-American Highway for Digital Health aligns with the G20 Agenda, currently led by Brazil, highlighting digital health as a key priority. The initiative is set to support over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, enhancing digital health governance, infrastructure, services, and human capital.
