Blog of Olga Tzortzatou Nanopoulou, SI Representative to the UN in Geneva.

During a recent meeting coordinated by Warwick University, SI Representative Dr. Olga Tzortzatou Nanopoulou was among a number of stakeholders brought together to discuss the urgent needs within digital health spheres, particularly concerning coordination needs and gaps in effective digital governance. In her report below, Dr. Tzortzatou Nanopoulou shares insights into the event’s lively discussions organised as part of the Digital Health and Rights Project (DHRP) consortium’s initiatives – which explored the urgent need for better coordination and inclusivity in digital health. From ensuring that technology serves everyone fairly to addressing the unique needs of marginalised communities, the meeting highlighted the importance of making digital health tools both accessible and ethical.

A clear distinction was made between women’s equality and gender equality, highlighting the need for robust cybersecurity policies that safeguard women’s access to digital healthcare. This issue is particularly critical for vulnerable populations, such as women living with HIV, who often refrain from seeking treatment due to a lack of trust in digital health systems. Furthermore, cyberattacks disproportionately affect women caregivers, limiting their access to essential information required for patient care.

During the project meeting, youth advocates from Kenya and Vietnam presented the challenges faced by marginalised groups, including sex workers and HIV-positive individuals, who are frequently excluded from digital health policies. In Kenya, sex workers voiced their frustration at being overlooked in policy frameworks, while in Vietnam, youth face significant barriers related to cybersecurity knowledge and discrimination, particularly among marginalised populations.

This conversation led to a focus on the “Techquity” gap—a term referring to the disparities in access to digital health services, which are especially severe for undocumented individuals, immigrants, and women who lack awareness or access due to fears of discrimination and stigmatisation. The discussion also evolved around the persistent gender gap in access to digital health technologies. Women for instance, who make up 67% of healthcare workers and shoulder the burden of unpaid caregiving, face significant barriers in accessing digital tools. These burdens were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has underscored the need for disaggregated data by sex and gender to address structural biases and inequities.

The critical role of the private sector in the development of AI and digital health tools was also emphasised, and the importance of designing these technologies to be ethically sound and inclusive was stressed in particular. Additionally, the need for human rights impact assessments to be integrated into AI and digital health initiatives was strongly advocated. As a result of this discussion, enhancing ethics literacy among both users and developers was identified as a key step towards ensuring responsible and inclusive digital health practices.

The meeting concluded with a call to action for enhanced coordination among all stakeholders, including civil society and marginalised communities, to address equitable access to digital health. The discussions also underscored the importance of establishing comprehensive safeguards to protect the human rights of vulnerable populations within digital health landscapes, alongside fostering greater ethics literacy.