Advancing Workforce Development in Digital Health: A Regional Model from the GCC

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Workforce Development
• International Collaboration

Background:

• The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) faces a growing need for a skilled digital healthcare workforce.
• Established in 2016, ZIMAM (non-profit organization) aims to address this gap by integrating global best practices and regional insights.
• The digital health sector requires specialized knowledge and skills, necessitating a structured approach to workforce development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the evolution and impact of ZIMAM's role in the GCC's digital healthcare workforce development taskforce.
• To analyze ZIMAM's methodology in creating a scalable digital health knowledge and skills framework.
• To highlight ZIMAM's contributions and its potential as a replicable model for global digital health workforce challenges.

Main Methods:

• Competency mapping aligned with the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA).
• Extensive stakeholder engagement and iterative validation processes.
• Development of governance structures, capacity-building workshops, and conferences.

Main Results:

• Establishment of a robust digital health governance framework within the GCC.
• Expansion of strategic partnerships across various digital health sectors.
• Implementation of pilot-tested competency frameworks specifically tailored for the GCC healthcare landscape.

Conclusions:

• ZIMAM has successfully established a foundational framework for digital health workforce development in the GCC.
• The organization's systematic approach effectively bridges healthcare and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) competencies.
• ZIMAM provides a scalable and replicable model for addressing global digital health workforce challenges, overcoming limitations through technological collaboration.