The Global Fund and Private Sector Partners have today launched The Digital Health Impact Accelerator (DHIA) with US$50 million in funding, to accelerate countries’ digital health transformation in sub-Saharan Africa.
Reacting to the news, Tabitha Ha, Advocacy Manager at STOPAIDS said:
“It is welcoming to see increased funding to support the Global Fund’s role in the digital health transformation. The DHIA is an exciting initiative with the potential to improve health outcomes, with communities at the center. However, it must advance global health equity and protect human rights.
It is not yet clear how the Accelerator will ensure human rights are strengthened and protected, or how the experiences of communities and civil society will shape its direction.
New research on the digital health and rights of young adults in Kenya and Ghana has found that the digital transformation has resulted in both increased empowerment but also exposed women and key populations to human rights abuses, including threats, stalking and discrimination online.
Safeguards to protect human rights, including risks to privacy and data protection, must therefore accompany the delivery of the DHIA.
In order to fully realise the benefits of digital health, the Global Fund must identify the needs of affected communities and civil society in the digital health transformation and ensure they meaningfully participate in related decision-making.
We hope to receive clarity about how this will happen as soon as possible.”
ENDS
Notes:
- The DHIA launch announcement was made at the Africa Health Tech Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, on the sidelines of the 2nd International Conference on Public Health in Africa.
- The 2022 research report, Digital health and human rights of young adults in Ghana, Kenya, and Vietnam, details benefits and harms of the digital health transformation, both online and offline. It also makes key recommendations for global health agencies, donors, and national governments.
- The Digital Health and Rights Project (DHRP). Hosted at the Graduate Institute in Geneva the DHRP is a consortium of anthropologists, social scientists, human rights lawyers, and global networks of civil society activists working together to develop and strengthen international norms, standards and regulations to protect health and human rights in the digital era. STOPAIDS is a member.
STOPAIDS is a UK-based HIV, health and rights network. We draw on our 35-year experience working on the HIV response to support UK and global movements to challenge systemic barriers and inequalities so that we can end AIDS and support people around the world to realise their right to good health and wellbeing.
For more information please contact: jake@stopaids.org.uk or on +447887348161.