ABSTRACT
In the health sector, information and communication technology (ICT) is a cornerstone of efficient and effective services. In many countries, use of ICT within the sector continues to grow, and the Internet in particular is driving significant change. In high- and low-income countries, e-health has already demonstrated its value, particularly in containing cross-border threats to health and safety. The health divide is evident especially in low-income countries, which face a high burden of endemic and epidemic-prone infectious diseases, unacceptably high levels of child and maternal mortality, a continuing HIV/AIDS pandemic and the rapid spread of chronic conditions accelerated by poverty. The concept of citizen-centred care has become the basis of programmes designed to empower consumers in part by improving the health information environment. Policy implemented at each level affects meaningful access to ICT in a country and therefore in the health sector.
