Abstract

E-Health, in its various forms, promises high potential to strengthen health systems in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) by improving outreach, effectiveness, and equity of health services. It is expected to do so by enhancing communication between patients and health care providers, delivering health services to remote and vulnerable populations, empowering communities to take charge of their own health, and improving health information systems. While many LMICs are now embracing e-Health, there are a number of challenges that they face in its implementation. The majority of LMICs still lack a national e-Health implementation strategy and there is inadequate awareness of the essential elements of e-Health among policy makers and health system managers. Often, improper internet connectivity, irregular power supply, and lack of resources affect the adoption of e-Health. There is also a risk that e-Health might increase the digital divide between the rich and poor. This calls for innovations to improve access to e-Health as well as capacity building among providers and potential beneficiaries of e-Health in LMICs. This paper provides an overview of the status of e-Health in emerging economies of the world, extent of its use, experiences with the adoption of e-Health, potential barriers with implementation, and the future directions for action by LMICs to develop robust e-Health evaluation frameworks.