Workforce Buy-In, Access Gaps Key Challenges in Digital Health Push
May 18, 2026
From Left: The Honourable Sandra Husbands, Minister of Training, Tertiary Education, and Vocational Training; Dr. Damian Cohall Dean Faculty of Medical Sciences, and Professor Clive Landis, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Cave Hill Campus
Concerns about healthcare worker buy‑in, technological barriers and the risks of a one‑size‑fits‑all approach have emerged as key challenges in efforts to transform healthcare through digital solutions.
These issues were highlighted during the Digital Health Symposium, held from May 13 to 14 at the Clinical Skills Complex, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus.
While the event showcased advances in artificial intelligence, data systems and innovation, speakers stressed that digital transformation requires not only a technical shift but a human one. Securing the support of healthcare workers was identified as a major obstacle to progress.
Former Chief Information Officer of the National Health Service (NHS) in Wales and Chief Executive Officer of the Federation for Informatics Professionals, Andrew Griffiths, said the central issue is ensuring staff are ready for change.
“The key challenge for us is how do we make sure that our workforce is receptive to the changes… with the changes in the amount and quality of the data.”
However, many healthcare systems are already under strain, with staff shortages and burnout raising concerns that poorly implemented technologies could worsen these conditions rather than ease them.
Director at Criterion Tech in Lucknow, India, Zaw Ali Khan, which develops innovative healthcare solutions, pointed to common challenges facing health systems across the Global South.
“Because of this limited workforce, there are higher incidents of burnout, [which] is something digital health innovators should keep in mind. Our innovations should never add to the workload of our healthcare works. Rather, there should be a focus on augmenting the abilities of our healthcare workers so that the cognitive load can be shared by technology,” he said, referencing India as an example.
Access to technology also remains a major concern. Not all patients have smartphones, reliable internet access or the digital skills required to benefit from new systems, raising the risk of exclusion.
Advisor for Health Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control at the Pan American Health Organization, Dr. Prabhjot Singh, said the requirement for COVID‑19 digital vaccination certificates exposed this gap.
“You did not think about all of the people who do not have that, [like] the elderly so that’s already a section of population you’ve already isolated because of the technological solution that you had asked for. That’s what you have to think of and you have to involve these persons in your decision-making.”
To address these challenges, healthtech and insurtech ecosystem builder Tunde Salako from Nigeria pointed to emerging approaches such as embedded healthcare, which integrates services into everyday platforms to improve accessibility.
He said research indicates the market for embedded healthcare could grow to nearly US$200 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 8.9 per cent.
“The overarching objectives are: (1) this enhances patient outcomes; (2) it helps in increasing the personalisation of the kind of care they receive; and, very importantly, (3) it helps in saving cost.”
“These trends are being interwoven around the everyday lifestyle of the regular person; take, for instance, places like Africa and South‑East Asia, etcetera.”
Salako also cautioned against replicating solutions from other regions without adapting them to local realities.
He instead advocated for locally tailored approaches that reflect the needs, behaviours and infrastructure of specific communities.
“I think building organically into the fabric of the DNA of the average person is going to be critical. I also think using those unique test cases to build strong, practical and viable positions will help to galvanise more activity for funding, so that growth takes off like what we’ve seen across the Big Five in Africa, specifically Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Ghana.”
Elsewhere, digital healthcare solutions are reaping benefits.
Global Head of Healthcare at KPMG, Beccy Fenton, pointed to a group of hospitals in Vermont, United States, which automated more than 27 processes across clinical care, patient experience and operations, saving US$288 million.
Overall, the symposium reinforced that while digital health holds significant promise, its success will depend on inclusive design, workforce readiness and public trust, not just technological advancement.
