Riyadh Global Digital Health Summit harnessing technology against COVID-19

As part of an initiative by the G20 Saudi Secretariat, the Riyadh Global Digital Health Summit was launched earlier on Tuesday.

The summit aims to adopt new technological solutions, improve accessibility and quality, and furthermore, reduce costs of countering the negative effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Bandar Al-Knawy, CEO of the Ministry of National Guard – Health Affairs, and President of the Riyadh Global Digital Health Summit has highlighted steps taken by the Kingdom throughout the pandemic and the successful organization of annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Bernardo Mariano Jr., WHO Chief Information Officer (CIO) reviewed the role of WHO in combating global epidemics. He offered a concise presentation on how to deal with epidemics during the era of digital technology. He mentioned that the public health sector was not as digitally advanced as other sectors like finance, media, and education. The WHO CIO, also urged measures to guarantee the quick and rapid transformation of the health sector.

The summit united leaders of different health care systems, public health, digital health, businesses and academic institutions to address the vital role of digital health in combating the current pandemic and future ones.

The Riyadh Global Digital Health Summit has been organized by the Ministry of National Guard – Health Affairs in coordination with G20 Saudi Secretariat and the Saudi Center for International Strategic Partnerships.