The webinar "Beyond state control and corporate power: An alternative digitalization of public health" will be held on Wednesday, 12 May 2021, from 14.00-15.30 hrs CEST. It is part of a series of public meetings held ahead of the 74th World Health Assembly organized and hosted by the Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2), 10-13 May 2021.

The session will be based on inputs from activists from different regions of the world, who are working on ensuring that digital policies are shaped from below and implemented for the benefit of the people. Daria Cibrario, PSI Local and Regional Government Officer, will be one of the panelists.

The Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to putting data and digitalization squarely at the centre of national and international public health. Unfortunately, in several cases during the pandemic, such interest in the potentials of digital health has materialised in the securitization of health information and forms of data appropriation by private actors.

Click on the image below to access the video of the event:

Until now, digital health has largely been presented by the corporate sector and governments as a potential way to bypass the consequences of weakened health systems. Civil society has already voiced strong critiques of how individual data is used by the technology industry, and pointed out many issues linked with privacy and state control of data. At the same time, the industry is building power not only on the usage of individual data, but also from its control and ownership of collective (anonymised) data. This has resulted in Big Tech being able to influence how the whole systems function.

We believe that shaping a different civil society approach to digital health – one oriented towards ensuring public ownership of data, and its use for building stronger health systems – can facilitate a post-pandemic recovery that will make health care accessible to more people.

Panelists

• Daria Cibrario, Public Services International, Geneva (EN)

• Junho Jung, Center for Health and Social Change, South Korea (EN)

• Matheus Falcão, Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas de Direito Sanitário and People’s Health Movement, Brazil (EN)

• Elias Kondilis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (EN)

Introduction and moderation

• Anita Gurumurthy, IT for Change, India (EN)

• Ana Vračar, People’s Health Movement, Croatia (EN)

Documentation, references, resources

• A documentation will be available after the meeting

Languages/interpretation

English – French – Spanish

Session organizer

• Ana Vračar, People’s Health Movement, G2H2 Steering Committee member and member of the organizing team

Register here