Geneva, 27 May 2013– After seven days of intense discussions, the sixty-sixth World Health Assembly (WHA) concluded with agreement on a range of new public health measures and recommendations aimed at securing greater health benefits for all people, everywhere. A resolution on eHealth standardization and interoperability stood among the 24 resolutions and five decisions adopted by the nearly 2000 delegates representing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Member States.

The adopted eHealth resolution provides strategic directions for full adoption of standards for interoperability of eHealth systems and related services as well as for development of national eHealth strategies. This resolution reflects the gained importance for eHealth and health data standards subjects after the significant advancement in ICT for better health care delivery while highlighting that the security of this information, and privacy of personal clinical data, must be protected.

The resolution further emphasizes that health-related, global, top-level domain names, including “.health”, should be operated in a way that protects public health and is consistent with global public health objectives. Names and acronyms of intergovernmental organizations, including WHO, should also be protected in the Internet Domain Name System.

Related links

eHealth and health Internet domain names [A66/26]              

eHealth standardization and interoperability [EB132.R8]