India hosted the Regional Open Digital Health Summit 2025 (RODHS 2025) in New Delhi on 19 November. The three-day event brought together government leaders, health experts, and technology innovators from many South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, and the Maldives.
The summit focused on how Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), open standards, and new technologies like Generative AI can help improve healthcare for everyone.
What Is the Purpose of the Summit?
The main goal of the summit is to discuss how digital tools can:
- Improve health services
- Make healthcare faster and easier
- Help all countries in South-East Asia work together
- Support Universal Health Coverage (UHC), so that everyone gets basic healthcare
Experts said that teamwork, sharing data safely, and using common standards are very important for building strong digital health systems.
Key Highlights from the Inaugural Session
Collaboration is Important
Officials said that different ministries must work together. For example, systems like Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN, and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) must stay safe and connected.
Building Skills Across Countries
WHO leaders said the summit will help countries learn how to use digital health tools properly. Trust and consistency are needed for success.
Focus on People, Not Just Technology
UNICEF reminded everyone that digital health should help children, families, and health workers, especially the most vulnerable.
India’s Digital Success
India shared how platforms like Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN, and ABDM have made healthcare easier and more efficient.
Important Sessions Explained Simply
1. Open Standards & Digital Infrastructure
Experts agreed that countries should move from small pilot projects to large digital health systems. Using open standards helps everyone work on the same platform.
2. Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
Leaders discussed how basic digital systems—such as digital ID, digital payments, and data platforms—can make health services faster and more reliable. Success should be measured through better health, lower costs, and empowered citizens.
3. FHIR Standard for Health Data
FHIR is a global rule for sharing health data. Countries like India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka discussed how it can make health systems work together smoothly. But they also said that training and good governance are needed.
4. Health Sector DPI Use Cases
Speakers from India, Thailand, and Sri Lanka shared how their countries are building digital health systems that respect privacy and use data responsibly.
5. Generative AI in Healthcare
Experts explained how GenAI can help:
- Fix data problems
- Improve diagnosis
- Help doctors take care of more patients
- Support health workers in rural areas
6. Live AI Demonstrations
Companies like Google, EkaCare, NiramAI, Sunoh.AI, and IIT Delhi showed AI tools that can:
- Write clinical notes
- Do early breast cancer detection
- Support multilingual communication
- Improve diagnostic accuracy
Why This Summit Matters
The first day of RODHS 2025 showed how countries in South-East Asia are working together to create strong, modern, and fair digital health systems. The focus was on:
- Interoperability (systems working together)
- Open standards
- Digital equity
- Generative AI for better care
The summit aims to build a future where everyone—especially children and vulnerable groups—gets better healthcare through digital technology.
About the Author
