Klaus M. Leisinger elected co-chair of the new UN Digital He@lth Initiative

Klaus M. Leisinger, President and Managing Director of the Novartis Foundation, has been elected co-chair of the new UN Digital He@lth Initiative, a public-private partnership aiming at creating innovative technology models to improve healthcare in developing countries.

The objective of the Initiative is to fight diseases in developing countries more efficiently by joining forces from the public and private sectors in order to contribute to the achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The UN Digital He@lth Initiative forms the basis of a strategic network for new model partnerships across the pharmaceutical, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and health-technology sectors. New technologies such as mobile communication and computers can empower individuals, communities, health workers and health institutions to capture, collect and disseminate knowledge in the field of health.

The Novartis Foundation is pioneering the technology-aspect in improving healthcare in developing countries through its “Telemedicine project” in Ghana. The project, currently in its initial phase, is being developed together with the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

Among the founders of the Digital He@lth Initiative are the UN Office for Partnerships, Ericsson, Rockefeller Foundation, Millennium Village Project, Google, MTV and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development.