2009 REGIONAL MINISTERIAL MEETING ON
鈥淓-HEALTH鈥� IN AFRICA
E-health, or the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for health, has been one of the most rapidly growing areas in health today. ICTs offer opportunities to respond adequately to the health-related challenges faced by the African continent, and especially Sub-Saharan Africa. Their full beneficial impact requires properly addressing related human and physical capital constraints.
The promotion of e-Health as a means to improved health outcomes requires approaches that are tailored to the specific needs and circumstance of countries and communities. Countries can learn from the variety of experiences in the region. At the same time, regional discussions can also address the need for external support to health literacy programmes.
Participants at the regional meeting on e-Health, which took place in Ghana on 10-11 June 2009, included health ministers and policy makers from the member states of the Economic and Social Commission for Africa (ECA) entrusted with the implementation of national development strategies. Experts, academia and representatives of civil society and the private sector also attended. Issues discussed included:
- Challenges and sustainability of eHealth in Africa
- eHealth governance, policies, strategies and quality measures
- Public health informatics
- eHealth and the people
- Economics, financing and partnerships in eHealth
- mHealth: mobile communication for health
For more information on the meeting, please contact Mrs. Chikako Takase, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UN/DESA (+1 212 963-8774, takase@un.org).