Statement delivered by Ambassador Anna Jardfelt.
Thank you, Chair.
Sweden aligns itself with the statement made by Germany on behalf of EU and its member states.
Digital health should be an integrated part of all health care reforms and delivery. Using innovative solutions to deliver healthcare is one way to develop better and more user-friendly services.
For instance, primary health care does not need to always be provided at a clinic or health care centre. Today, there are plenty of opportunities for digital interactions between a caregiver and a patient. Patients can also make good use of digital solutions for self-monitoring which makes physical visits to a doctor more efficient.
We are facing a paradigm shift. Our societies are becoming more data driven, including health care. There are many opportunities when using big amounts of health data, especially within precision medicine.
However, we must stay vigilant when using and sharing this data. For the sake of personal integrity, but also for the effect it will have on the systems that are fuelled by health data.
We are, for instance, developing algorithms based on health data in order to make care and treatment better for our patients.
If we look at the history of medical research and drug development, there has been a bias towards studies and clinical trials being conducted on adult males only, meaning that the effects on women and children remains largely unknown.
We must ensure that the development and use of health data is inclusive, so that we don't build in biases such as racial or gender-related bias into our health care systems.
Last, Sweden welcomes the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025. The content is well in line with Sweden's ambition to be a leading nation in e-health, and the strategy underpins the need to use digital tools in health care systems .
Thank you.
