This note discusses, through selected country case studies, how digital health records and telemedicine can improve delivery quality, access to underserved populations, and resource utilization in healthcare. In addition, it shows how digital disease surveillance tools can identify outbreaks and track the spread of diseases, while novel digital platforms can facilitate patent licensing and international pooled procurements for better drug access in developing countries.
Impact / Outcome
The cumulated findings from all case studies show that the increasing public and private investment in digitalization has resulted in broader use of digital health interventions to improve data quality, public service delivery, and market efficiency. International efforts to develop, coordinate, and use digital health tools have grown. The high-level policy insights on digitalization and health care discussed in this note could support IMF engagement with country authorities on macrocritical health-related issues.
Funding sources
Fully Public
Key Metrics
Ensuring safe and well-regulated collection and use of healthcare data, as well as facilitating standardization and interoperability of digital infrastructure in different sectors is critical for the success of these interventions.
Operating model
Fully privateYear published
23 October 2023 
International Monetary Fund (IMF)