In Sri Lanka, last week, during the Digital Heath Week 2018, organized by the Health Informatics Society of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health and the Commonwealth Medical Association, the Chair of the ECHAlliance, Brian O’Connor and Prof. Vajira Dissanayake met and agreed the Action Plan, envisaged in the Partnership agreement announced in May this year.
Prof. Dissanayake Chair of CWCDH said
“A great deal of positive progress has been made in just a few months, it is now necessary to move forward with activities to give effect to our commitment to work jointly. We decided to work together because we share the same mission and values and by joining forces we hoped we could deliver faster and do more better. I am glad to say that the joint efforts over the past months and the collaborative experience here in Sri Lanka, have confirmed the value and potential of this partnership.”
Brian O’Connor, Chair of the ECHAlliance commented
“I have been very impressed with what I have learned over the past few months working with the CWCDH. Having met people from over 40 Commonwealth Countries this week, listened to the progress they have made, experienced the Innovations and above all their determination and passion, I am more convinced than ever that the Collaboration we envisaged will indeed bring mutual benefits to all involved.”
The full Action Plan will be announced shortly but highlights for now include.
- Launch of an Ecosystem jointly in Malta (A European and a Commonwealth Country) on 20 November 2018.
- Launch of Ecosystems in Sri Lanka and Uganda in early 2019; these will be the beginnings of the Commonwealth Connected Health Alliance and act as exemplars for further Ecosystems across the Commonwealth. The Uganda Ecosystem will also be a nexus for real collaboration across East Africa for the Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health.
- The organisation of a Commonwealth Digital Health Skills Summit early in 2019, to connect existing Skills Programmes with the needs of many Commonwealth Countries.
- The CWCDH will hold an event during the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2019 aimed at obtaining the highest level commitment of Commonwealth Governments for the ongoing activities of the CWCDH and to report progress since the last meeting in May 2018.
Anoop Singh the COO of CWCDH said
“The benefits of connecting the ECHAlliance and the CWCDH are already exceeding our hopes. The synergies and opportunities are manifest, but we are determined to focus and deliver real benefits, rather than trying to do everything. We have identified numerous needs and opportunities, prioritised them and we will implement the above actions and announce others. This partnership brings together key stakeholders and collaborators in the digital health space across countries throughout Europe, the Commonwealth and beyond.”
About Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health
The Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health (CWCDH) is a not for profit organisation, working closely with the Commonwealth Medical Association, working together to link Commonwealth countries and realise the potential for digital health to transform and strengthen their health systems.
The Commonwealth is made up of 53 independent countries with a combined population of 2.4 billion, of which more than 60 per cent is aged 29 or under. The Commonwealth spans the globe and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. It encompasses Africa (19 countries), Asia (7), the Caribbean and Americas (13), Europe (3), and the Pacific (11).
About the European Connected Health Alliance
The European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance) is the trusted connector, facilitating multi-stakeholder connections around ecosystems, driving sustainable change and disruption in the delivery of health and social care. Our community gathers over 650+ member organizations and more than 16,500 experts — including government, health & social care providers, leading companies and start-ups, researchers, insurances, patients and citizens, and the investment community — through ecosystems meetings (100+ per year), international events and online platform, “Connector.” Active in more than 25 regions/countries (Europe, USA, Canada, China), ECHAlliance members develop innovative solutions around mobile health, chronic diseases, active and healthy ageing, Internet of Things, wearables, personalized medicine, genomics, Big Data, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
