From fragmentation to alignment: Why telehealth societies must shape the next phase of global digital health

Authors

• Pirkko Kouri Finnish Society for Telemedicine and eHealth; International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth
• Hassan Ghazal International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth; Moroccan Society for Telemedicine and eHealth
• Adeolu Arogundade Society for Telemedicine and eHealth in Nigeria
• Outi Ahonen Finnish Society for Telemedicine and eHealth
• Najeeb Al-Shorbaji eHealth Development Association: Amman, Jordan
• Tomasz Cedro Polish Telemedicine Society
• Wojciech Glinkowski Polish Telemedicine Society
• Nihal Habib Moroccan Society for Telemedicine and eHealth
• Innocent Martial Nanan Société Ivoirienne de Biosciences et d’Informatique Médicale
• Drago Rudel Slovenian Society for Medical Informatics
• Stephan Schug Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitstelematik e.V.
• Karl Stroetmann Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitstelematik e.V.
• Umashankar Subramanian Telemedicine Society of India
• Ikuo Tofukuji Japanese Telemedicine and Telecare Association

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23996/fjhw.178234

Keywords:

telemedicine, digital health, ehealth, international cooperation, health organizations

Abstract

National telehealth and eHealth societies are essential actors in digital transformation, yet their impact remains uneven, fragmented, and insufficiently coordinated. Drawing on trends across ten countries, including Finland, Germany, India, the Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, and Slovenia, this opinion argues that these societies hold crucial but underused positions in global digital health governance. They contribute to evidence generation, regulatory discourse, workforce development, and the adaptation of digital solutions to local contexts. However, without structured mechanisms for collaboration, such strengths remain isolated and global disparities deepen. We propose that the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (ISfTeH) can evolve from a networking platform into an orchestrator that consolidates knowledge, reduces duplication, and supports equitable digital transformation. The future of telehealth depends not only on technological innovation but also on institutions’ capacity to share expertise, co-develop strategies, and build collective capabilities.