Country representatives include ministries of health or other government agencies responsible for digital health and information and communication technology. They work across departments and ministries to implement digital health programming and execute strategies and policies. The DUAL model aims to support countries with health systems at any stage of the digital transformation process—whether they are just beginning to define their vision for digital health, or have several systems already deployed.

The model helps countries align their digital health initiatives to their national strategies and health targets.

 
 

Make an impact

Countries can unlock the full potential of digital technologies by:

  • Establishing governance bodies to oversee and enforce digital health policies, guidelines, and standards.

  • Developing investment roadmaps to accurately budget and scope a national digital transformation for data use strategy.

  • Supporting existing technical working groups and committees in applying and institutionalizing digital health guidelines, systems, and tools that advance digital transformation.

  • Developing an enterprise architecture to define the current and future state of the national digital health system.

  • Increasing coordination between sectors as well as regional, subnational, and national digital transformation efforts.

  • Using data, assessments, and evaluations to make digital transformation investment and programmatic decisions.

  • Building multiuse digital health systems and tools that can be applied across different scenarios, uses, and landscapes (as appropriate), rather than rebuilding applications for every new environment.

  • Designing digital and data tools that are responsive to infrastructure challenges and limitations.

  • Cultivating champions at all levels of the government and within other relevant sectors to advocate for digital transformation for data use.

  • Motivating and empowering health workers to use and act on data, rather than just serving as data collectors.

  • Identifying and build the capacity of health actors at all tiers of the health system to model and cultivate a culture of data use.

  • Developing long-term, country-generated funding streams to finance the real and ongoing costs of digital and data infrastructure.

“The digital and data revolution is key to addressing most of the old problems that held us from timely achievement of national health priorities and targets. Use of digital systems and data will help in fast tracking achievement of national strategic goals and vision.”
— Martin Mapunda, Assistant Director of Human Resources Planning under the Department of Human Resource, Planning and Development at the Ministry of Health, Tanzania.

Resources

Check out the below resources for guidance on how the DUAL model can be applied throughout countries’ digital transformation journey.