LOC12:49
09:49 GMT
to Health Data
GENEVA, Feb 22 (KUNA) -- The World Economic Forum WEF launches on Tuesday a
Global Health Data Charter and described is as "ambitious project to advance
global health through improved data collection and management".
The Charter was developed by the World Economic Forum, with project
advisory services and support provided by Deloitte and a broad group of
stakeholders.
"The Charter recognizes that accurate health data is essential for
effective and efficient health management and aims to enable individuals and
patients, health professionals and policy-makers to make more informed
decisions through secure access to comprehensive, quality data", said the WEF.
"This Charter represents a tipping point in our transition from the old
days of capturing data on paper to the modern era of global interconnectedness
supported by sophisticated and secure data sharing to improve health for
everyone," says Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World
Economic Forum.
"Our role has always been that of the catalyst - identifying the gaps,
creating the solution and activating change. The Global Health Data Charter is
a further illustration of that commitment." he added in a press release.
Access to comprehensive health data is critical given increasing challenges
to accessibility and delivery of high-quality care under increasing fiscal
pressures.
Across the health system, in both developed and developing countries,
accurate health data is simply not available.
Despite the overwhelming demand, there are a number of critical challenges
to the collection, analysis and application of high-quality health data.
"Improving quality and access to health data is essential to patients,
communities and health service providers worldwide, " says Marie-Paule Kieny,
Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization WHO and Acting
Executive Secretary of Health Metrics Network.
"This Charter provides a comprehensive mechanism to engage private and
public sector stakeholders to develop better methods of health data management.
"
The Charter consists of eight key principles representing the data gaps
which the charter founders identified as the most pressing and most realistic
to improve in the short term. These principles revolve around two fundamental
gaps - access to and privacy of health data.
"Access" refers to the ability to effectively and efficiently get the right
data, in the right format, where and when it is needed. "Privacy" advocates
for the development of protocols to address the challenges and risks
associated with data misuse.
Georges Halvorson, Chief Executive Officer of Kaiser Permanente and Member
of the WEF Global Health Advisory Board said "Better management of data is not
only a best practice - it's a business imperative."
The initial global support of the Charter boasts endorsements from The
Global Health Council (GHC), Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation
(IHME), International Council of Nurses (ICN), International Federation of
Health Plans (IFHP), International Hospital Federation (IHF), International
Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), Population Services International (PSI),
Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and World Information
Technology Services Association (WITSA). (end)
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