Funding organizations may operate at a global or regional scale, including foundations and multi-lateral organizations. They fund and support evidence-based interventions that have been shown to achieve system-wide results, demonstratable scale, and a return on investments. The DUAL model helps funders invest in country-driven digital health programming, while promoting integrated, interoperable digital solutions.

 
 

Make an impact

Funders can help countries unlock the full potential of digital technologies by:

  • Ensuring digital health investments align with countries’ vision and strategies.

  • Working with other funders to align investments and harmonizing with country priorities for digital transformation to reduce the burden on countries and implementing partners.

  • Investing in foundational country-led activities to lay the groundwork for sustainable, long-term digital transformation, including the development of:

    • National-level digital health strategies and roadmaps;

    • Policies to support digital transformation for data use;

    • Governance mechanisms to enforce new digital health policies, guidelines, and standards; and

    • Enterprise architecture to define the current and future state of the national digital health system.

  • Advocating for countries to establish governance bodies to oversee digital transformation for data use.

  • Investing in global goods, standards, and interoperable systems instead of standalone systems.

  • Leveraging data, assessments, and evaluations to make investment decisions.

  • Investing in building the capacity of health actors at all tiers of the health system to model and cultivate a culture of data use.

  • Encouraging user-centered design and interoperability during the development of digital health systems.

  • Contributing to the evidence base for how digital health can improve health outcomes and advance health equity.

  • Identify the true costs of digital and data infrastructure and work with country governments to determine sustainable funding streams.

“Donors, other stakeholders and the private sector have collaborated with us on (digital health) investment priorities through the One Plan, One Budget, One Report which started in August last year (2020). Partners have responded positively to this collaborative process.”
— Pierre Yaméogo, Head of UHC Technical Directorate, Burkina Faso

Resources

Check out the below resources for guidance on how the DUAL model can be applied in support of country-driven investments.