USAID envisions a world in which advances in digital technologies are leveraged to help people access the information and services they need to live healthy and prosperous lives.

Accelerating the Journey to Self-Reliance Through Strategic Investments in Digital Technologies: A Vision for Action in Digital Health is the Agency’s first dedicated policy guidance for its investments in digital technologies that support health programs in its partner countries.

This Vision builds on prior USAID policy, including the Journey to Self-Reliance and Digital Strategy [PDF, 5.4MB], and interprets that guidance for the global health sector. It also charts a path for the implementation of the Principles of Donor Alignment for Digital Health, which USAID co-authored and endorsed in 2018.

The Vision addresses the challenges of fragmentation, and lack of sustainability and interoperability, of many digital health technologies used in USAID’s partner countries. To address these challenges the Vision outlines a systems-level approach to supporting partner countries’ health sector digital transformation.

In support of this Vision, the policy document identifies four priorities to guide related USAID planning, procurements, and programs. These are to assess and support:

• country digital health capacity,
• national digital health strategies,
• national digital health architecture, including where relevant through the use of global goods.

Fundamentally, the Vision presents a roadmap for how USAID can strategically support its partner countries as they strengthen the digital transformation of their health sectors, especially by encouraging careful planning, interoperability, strong governance, and long-term sustainability.

Questions or comments are welcome at gh.digitalhealth@usaid.gov.

Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #USAIDdigitalhealth.

Over a decade of global health investments made a difference for one little girl, Aflozia, at a health clinic with her mother in Taznania. Staff at Ilemela Dispensary in Mwanza region of Tanzania speak with Aflozia’s mother to check her in as a new patient. The receptionist illustrates how their new computer system has made patient tracking easier and more reliable.

Rachel Chilton, USAID/Tanzania

USAID’s Digital Health Vision: Four Key Priorities

The Vision outlines four key priorities to which USAID digital-health program funding should align.