ITU COVID-19 has spurred online searches for consultations and diagnoses among medical practitioners and patients alike. But with only about 51 per cent of the global population using the Internet, the risk of a digital gap further entrenching health inequity looms large. At the same time, as technological change advances, the global health workforce must be equipped with new skills, ideally supported by policy makers who can understand and implement digital health strategies and infrastructure. Mapping skill sets A first logical step is to understand skill levels across different healthcare services. “Lack of skills has been identified as a main barrier to the digital transition,” noted Dr Susan Teltscher, Head of ITU’s Capacity and Digital Skills Development Division, at a 25 April webinar on digital skills for e-health hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Mapping the skill sets required to upskill the workforce is fundamental to any digital health competency framework, said Hani Eskandar, Digital Services Senior Coordinator at ITU.