e-Health Initiatives

We define e-health as the use of ICTs, locally and at a distance, to strengthen health systems and address public health priorities.

E-health has the potential to increase the efficiency of health systems and to improve access, especially in remote areas, for marginalised or excluded populations, people with disabilities and the elderly. It can be used to improve service quality, and can also reduce the cost of health care delivery by reducing redundancy and duplication and introducing economies of scale.

E-health is being promoted by the Commonwealth Secretariat, not as a stand-alone programme but as support to the ongoing efforts to strengthen health systems.