Bridging the digital divide in health

With these words, in an opening address to the World Summit on the Information Society in 2003, former United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan captured the promise of information and communication technology. Building on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), this compelling vision opened the door to new commitment, new investment and, most of all, to creativity and the drive to push the boundaries of technology far beyond anything ever dreamed. Today, it is thanks to those pioneers determined to experiment with new technologies in new settings—often a challenging and risky enterprise—that many can take for granted the benefits that ICT brings to health. For too many others, that promise is still unfulfilled.