WHO to expand on European Union digital Covid-19 certification system

 

The World Health Organisation said it will expand on the European Union's digital Covid-19 certification system for use globally, facilitating mobility across a range of ongoing health threats and pandemics, reported UPI.

The WHO said the European model will be the first building block in creating the WHO global digital health certification network.

The partnership will include close collaboration with the European Commission on developing, managing, and implementing the WHO system.

Officials said they hope the collaboration will lead to a broader range of digital tools that will help deliver better healthcare results worldwide.

Building on the EU's highly successful digital certification network, WHO aims to offer all WHO member states access to an open-source digital health tool based on the principles of equity, innovation, transparency and data protection and privacy.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's director-general, said in a statement that new digital health products in development aim to help people everywhere receive quality health services quickly and more effectively.

The entities said the move builds on the initiative they struck last November to take advantage of what they learned during the Covid-19 pandemic to enhance strategic cooperation on global health issues.

This partnership is an important step for the digital action plan of the EU global Health Strategy, Stella Kyriakides, the EU's commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said in a statement.

"By using European best practices we contribute to digital health standards and interoperability globally -- to the benefit of those most in need.”

It is also a powerful example of how alignment between the EU and the WHO can deliver better health for all in the EU and worldwide.

As the directing and coordinating authority on international health work, there is no better partner than the WHO to advance the work started at the EU and further develop global digital health solutions.

Last month, WHO declared an end to the global Covid-19 public health emergency but warned countries that the disease remained a global health threat.

Ghebreyesus said he made the call based on advice from the international health regulations emergency committee.

- Bernama