iHeal HealthTech Commits to Foster Global Digital Inclusion Through Edison Alliance

iHeal HealthTech, a leading player in the digital health sector, has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing global digital inclusion by pledging support to the Edison Alliance. This initiative aims to connect 1 billion individuals by 2025 to essential services such as healthcare, education, and finance through digital platforms.

Our Vision

iHeal HealthTech is dedicated to leveraging digital health interventions to impact the lives of 10 million individuals by 2025 positively. Across various states in India, iHeal is focused on enhancing the accessibility, affordability, and usability of healthcare services. Through innovative digital solutions like telemedicine platforms, nutrition delivery platforms, personalized health tracking apps, and AI-driven diagnostics, iHeal aims to address healthcare disparities and improve health outcomes for individuals in underserved communities, including women, girls, senior citizens, tribals, and minority groups.

The Edison Alliance Initiative

The Edison Alliance, a collaborative effort, aims to bridge the digital divide by ensuring equitable access to the digital economy. 

This digital exclusion poses significant barriers to economic development, education, healthcare, and overall social inclusion. By bringing together governments, businesses, academia, and civil society, the Alliance aims to ensure equitable access to the digital economy, thus bridging the digital divide. The Edison Alliance operates under the umbrella of the World Economic Forum and leverages its platform and resources to drive cross-sectoral collaboration. The Alliance acts as a catalyst for innovation and cooperation, facilitating partnerships and initiatives that address the root causes of digital exclusion.

Formation and Purpose of Edison Alliance

The World Economic Forum (WEF) launched the Essential Digital Infrastructure and Services Network (EDISON) Alliance in response to the glaring digital disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic exposing and widening existing gaps, the need for such an alliance became imperative. The Alliance, spearheaded by the WEF, seeks to ensure unprecedented cross-sectoral collaboration between the technology industry and other critical sectors of the economy. The Edison Alliance Initiative seeks to bridge the global digital divide by uniting stakeholders to ensure equitable access to essential services. AstraZeneca's collaboration with Qure.ai aims to detect lung cancer early using AI, Apollo Hospitals' mobile medical units provide healthcare to underserved Indian communities, and JazzCash empowers financial inclusion in Pakistan. These initiatives, among many others, demonstrate the Alliance's commitment to leveraging technology and collaboration for positive societal impact.

Progress and Impact

Last year's impact report of the Edison Alliance reveals significant strides, particularly in South Asia and Africa. The Alliance positively impacted millions of lives, with a notable 14% increase in Africa alone, equating to 64 million additional individuals gaining access to essential services within a single year. Key countries like India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam saw substantial improvements, with Vietnam rising to the top tier of impacted nations. The report emphasizes the disproportionate impact in developing nations, where internet access remains limited, highlighting the Alliance's crucial role in bridging digital disparities and fostering economic empowerment.

Corporate Commitments

Several notable companies have pledged substantial commitments to support the objectives of the Edison Alliance. Africa Teen Geeks, dedicated to fostering Africa's tech talent, vows to provide free STEM tutoring to a million children, train 10,000 teachers in coding, donate computer labs to 1,000 schools, and equip 300,000 children with innovation skills. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) aims to expand healthcare access in India by deploying over 300 eHealth Centers, COVID Labs, and Vaccination Centers, serving 4 million people already, with plans to reach an additional 4 million by 2025. Dell Technologies is focused on advancing digital inclusion in education and health, aiming to empower 60 million individuals by 2025 through programs like Get Digital Skills and Solar Community Hubs, fostering a more inclusive digital landscape.

Read all the commitments here.

Indian Companies' Contributions

Indian companies like Apollo Hospitals, Bharti Enterprises, and NITI Aayog are actively contributing to the Alliance's objectives by leveraging digital technologies to improve access to healthcare and financial services for millions of people in India and beyond.

The dedication of iHeal HealthTech and other stakeholders emphasises the value of joint efforts in promoting global digital inclusion. As we move forward, the ecosystem must come together, leveraging technology and innovation to create tangible impacts at the grassroots level. Through initiatives like the Edison Alliance, we can build a more inclusive and equitable digital future for all.