In October 2021, the WHO Regional Committee for Europe launched the initiative ‘Western Balkans Digital Health Network’, with the aim to accelerate the transformation of regional health systems in the Western Balkans towards digital technology, an interesting activity for allergy and airways diseases patients in Europe.
WHO Europe Regional Director Hans Kluge underlined the importance of digitalisation in fighting the key health challenges of today, as shown during the COVID-19 crisis. Moreover, he pointed to the role of digital health in moving towards a more proactive approach in terms of preparedness and anticipation of emergencies.
The initiative has set 4 overarching goals:
- Support the implementation of digital health priorities identified by the WHO Western Balkans Roadmap for Health 2021–2025.
- Ensure ways to accelerate the digitalisation of national health systems and the development of equitable digital health services in the Western Balkans (with focus on primary health care).
- Promote the sharing of knowledge and identification of best practices.
- Increase subregional collaboration and alignment of actions for digital health.
The Network also published a detailed Roadmap outlining its main priorities and action areas.
EFA has consistently supported digital health and innovation as a key tool to achieve high-quality care, enable research, generate better health outcomes, and improve disease management. In addition, the digitalisation of health can contribute in the reduction of inequalities in the provision of healthcare, which are often in sharp contrast between Eastern and Western Europe.
To know more about EFA’s work, please visit our Digital Health section.