Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology
Published on: September 28, 2022
How Can We Bridge the Digital Health Divide With Equity Solutions In-Post Pandemic Era Across LMICs?
Augustus Osborne1, Umaru Sesay2
1Department of Research, Institute for Development, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Abstract:
Digital health promises a revolution in healthcare delivery, yet in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), a stark digital divide threatens to exacerbate health inequities. While innovations like telemedicine and mobile health apps have surged globally post-COVID-19, millions in LMICs remain excluded due to poor internet access, unaffordable devices, and low digital literacy, especially in rural areas. This perspective piece examines the current landscape, highlighting successes like Uganda's mTrac for disease tracking alongside systemic barriers such as weak data privacy. Drawing on local experiences from Sierra Leone, the paper underscores the urgency of tailored solutions. We propose a vision for equity through public-private partnerships, community-based digital literacy programs, robust ethical safeguards, and a novel regional digital health equity taskforce to drive coordinated action. Urgent intervention from governments, global health bodies, and the private sector is needed to reframe digital health as a public good, ensuring access for all and transforming care for the most marginalized.
Related Concept Videos
Issues And Trends In Healthcare Delivery System
Cost Containment
Payment for healthcare services has historically promoted adoption of costly and often unnecessary or inefficient...
Introduction To Health Care Delivery System
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advocates for a patient-centered, effective, safe, timely, equitable, and effective healthcare system. The National Priorities...
Health Literacy
Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is limited...
Integrated Healthcare System
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...