Digital health holds tremendous promises for expanding access, improving care quality, and strengthening health systems globally. Yet its implementation remains uneven, shaped by regional disparities in governance, digital infrastructure, financing models, and institutional capacity. In the context of the recently launched WHO Global Digital Health Strategy (2025–2030), the Health Diplomacy Youth Network (HDYN) convened a cross-regional dialogue to examine these challenges and explore how young professionals can drive equitable, context-appropriate digital health transformation.
The session opened with remarks from Abigail Salen, Visual and Content Manager, Nayon, who framed the discussion around the WHO Science Council’s four strategic pillars; Connect, Educate, Invest, and Evaluate. She emphasized that digital health must be guided by principles of equity, human-centered design, and responsible innovation.
Adam Skali, Director of Innovation at CIES e-Health Innovation Centre, provided insights into the ongoing development of the European Health Data Space (EHDS). He noted that while the EHDS promises transformative opportunities for research and cross-border health data integration, its implementation is slowed by fragmentation across 27 member states, varying levels of technical readiness, and complex GDPR considerations. His perspective underscored that even in high-resource regions, digital health transformation requires navigating legal, political, and institutional tensions that extend beyond technology.
Esther Opone, Research Fellow at the Digital Transformations for Health Lab, highlighted the importance of governance frameworks that address digital harms. She explained that well-intentioned digital health tools can create unintended consequences, dependence, overuse, misinformation, or psychosocial strain if policy safeguards are not in place. Her intervention emphasized that digital innovation must extend beyond clinical functions to include prevention, health promotion, and ethical design.
In addition, Dr. Anthony Li, Preventive Medicine Physician at the National University Health System, stressed the need for digital health tools to demonstrate clear clinical and economic value. He noted that health systems often underestimate long-term maintenance, integration, and infrastructure costs. His remarks highlighted that sustainability, not novelty, must guide the adoption of digital health technologies.
Rustam Shariq Mujtaba, External Relations Lead at HDYN, moderated the panel, steering a dynamic conversation on governance gaps, implementation barriers, and the role of youth leadership across Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The dialogue highlighted youth leaders’ unique role in advancing equitable digital health transformation through co-creation, active listening, and cross-regional learning. Panelists stressed that young professionals with digital fluency and lived experience are essential to shaping governance frameworks that reflect modern technological realities. The discussion concluded with a call to strengthen policy coherence, invest in capacity-building, and create structured pathways for meaningful youth engagement in digital governance.
