Digital transformation continues to reshape health care in all 53 Member States of the WHO European Region. WHO/Europe’s biennial progress report on the “Regional digital health action plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030” provides an overview of progress across 18 key focus areas from June 2024 to March 2026.
Guidance and country support
Better health decisions depend on better data, and WHO/Europe has been helping countries improve both. Since June 2024, 20 countries have received support to strengthen how they collect, use and act on health data.
Technical support on health information systems in Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Latvia, North Macedonia and Spain is informing national digital health strategies. Bosnia and Herzegovina has worked with WHO to integrate telemedicine into primary care. Georgia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan received help with interoperability, data flows and evidence-informed planning. In addition, 13 Member States participated in trainings on AI and big data, 13 on International Classification of Diseases 11 implementation, and 15 on data visualization, Power BI and AI prompt engineering. When countries can use their data effectively, they can spot gaps sooner, plan services around real needs and make better use of limited budgets.
Guidance is also essential to help countries address persistent gaps in the governance, implementation and equitable use of digital technologies for health. This is why WHO/Europe has released 12 research and technical publications to support decision-making in digital health. These include guidance on governance, AI, telemedicine, cybersecurity, digital mental health, misinformation and equity. Four policy briefs have been produced as part of a new series, addressing: health data governance in the age of AI, scaling up telemedicine, financing digital health, and accelerating the uptake of digital solutions by the health and care workforce.
A landmark report presented developments and trends in AI for health in the Region and the European Union for the first time, accompanied by country profiles examining how each Member State is navigating AI. WHO/Europe has also examined how equity is considered in digital health, concluding that its integration into practice remains inconsistent.
Partnerships and knowledge exchange
As part of its partnerships, WHO/Europe continued to implement the donor agreement with the European Commission titled “Supporting Member States in the WHO European Region in strengthening health information systems and boosting health data governance”.
Fifty-one Member States are now participating in the European Health Information Network, which promotes cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange on health data. Over 1100 professionals took part in the webinars and training sessions co-funded through the European Union partnership.
WHO/Europe has also strengthened its collaboration with Portugal through a new initiative to build national capacity for the use of AI in health. This was showcased at the regional dialogue in Porto in September 2025, followed by a global event in Lisbon in July 2026. An agreement with Malta supported WHO’s work on digital health and a high-level meeting on AI in Valletta, which brought together senior officials from 41 Member States and more than 500 participants. A donor agreement with Italy launched WHO/Europe’s support for developing the country’s national digital health strategy.
A new project, set to kick off in partnership with Novo Nordisk Foundation in November 2026, will focus on how digital solutions can support older adults to live independently with dignity and connection, while also supporting the health and care workforce.
Three new WHO collaborating centres on digital health were designated over the past 2 years: the Deggendorf Institute of Technology and the Open University of Catalonia (to advance digital health policy and implementation) and Public Health Wales (to advance digital health equity). This brought the number of WHO collaborating centres supporting WHO/Europe on data, AI and digital health to 5.
The work ahead
“Over the past 4 years we have seen remarkable progress by and in countries to strengthen governance and better equip health workers with effective digital technology,” said Dr Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, Director of Health Systems at WHO/Europe. “However more remains to be done to ensure literacy and access by both patients and health workers to ensure digital technologies are also equitable technologies. WHO will continue to work with countries and partners to leverage digital tools for better health across the Region.”
A Member State working group on digital health and AI was established to contribute to the development of the “Roadmap for action on artificial intelligence in health in the WHO European Region 2026–2033” and the new “Global strategy for digital health 2028–2033”.
As the “Regional digital health action plan” enters its fifth year, WHO/Europe will continue working closely with countries and stakeholders. The focus will remain on expanding research, fostering partnerships, enhancing capacity and driving innovation.
The Region’s first digital health action plan was adopted by all 53 Member States of the WHO European Region at the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in September 2022. It describes the strategic actions needed to promote digital health systems and improve health at scale. The action plan also supports countries in aligning digital technology investments with health system needs, while respecting equity, solidarity and human rights