Nurturing ethical digitalisation: Balancing progress with cultural integrity

Family Hifazat allows our patients access to their health records at their fingertips, without leaving their homes.

In today's era of rapid technological advancement, digitalisation has emerged as a critical driver of progress and development for nations worldwide. However, as we embrace the transformative power of technology, it's essential not to overlook the timeless values and traditions that shape our cultural identities. Japan's World Cup bow offers an emotional reminder of the importance of preserving cultural integrity amidst technological advancement.

Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu's bow to the fans after their defeat against Croatia was more than just a gesture of respect—it encapsulated the essence of Japanese culture, where bowing symbolises not only an apology for mistakes but also the deepest expressions of appreciation and gratitude. Despite facing criticism and scrutiny, Moriyasu's bow paid tribute to the players, the opposing team, the critics, and all those who supported Team Japan. It was a demonstration of respect for the collective spirit of sportsmanship, reflecting Japan's commitment to its principles, values, and traditions.

This display of cultural integrity during the World Cup serves as a reminder of the importance of aligning technological progress with ethical principles. As nations integrate digitalisation into various aspects of governance and industry, it's crucial to ensure that these advancements are guided by the right intentions. Just as digitalisation facilitates connectivity and innovation on a global scale, cultural traditions serve as the bedrock upon which nations build their identities.

By embracing both digitalisation and cultural integrity, countries can achieve a harmonious balance between progress and tradition. For instance, in Pakistan, embedding cultural values into digital solutions can lay a strong foundation based on ethical principles, aligning technological progress with societal values. This approach not only fosters technological advancement but also ensures that progress is grounded in the strength of character and the depth of humanity.

At Aga Khan University (AKU), where I serve as the Global CIO, a similar commitment to our patients drives constant innovation. Impact, Quality, Relevance and Access (IQRA) are our institution’s key principles, and they are manifested in our internally developed Family Hifazat application. Family Hifazat functions as a portal that allows our patients access to their health records at their fingertips, without the need to leave their homes or visit the hospital again for results. It allows them to book clinical appointments, request medical services at home, and access prescriptions when required. Providing transparency and access to our patients is a mark of the respect, care and trust that forms the ethical foundation upon which AKU’s technological initiatives are rooted.

Another example developed by AKU is the award-winning Hayat mobile application, which helps enhance accessibility and coverage of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) care services. Pakistan has one of the world’s worst maternal and neonatal mortality ratios at 186 per 100,000 live births and 40 per 1,000 live births respectively. The application transformed a manual, paper-based system into a digital one that allowed real-time tracking, so that government healthcare administrators can make more effective and timely decisions on allocating scarce public resources where the needs are highest.

Indeed, continuing digitalisation offers immense opportunities for democratising access to information, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and addressing societal challenges. However, to realise these benefits fully, we must create accountability within our governments and policymakers to help in the navigation of complex issues such as electric and internet access, bridging the digital divide, ensuring cybersecurity, and protecting individual privacy.

In a Health-Tech Summit organised by AKU last year, these important questions were debated and discussed during expert keynotes and panel discussions featuring both national and international speakers. The summit recognised that many healthcare challenges are global, but solutions need to be uniquely catered to the societies they serve. For instance, how can pharmaceutical companies help address the fact that Pakistan has the highest diabetes rate in the world, but low affordability? How can generative AI technologies overcome language barriers to help doctors communicate with patients who do not speak English or the national languages of their countries, but rather tribal and ethnic languages? How can health systems enable high-quality patient care to be shifted to home, thereby improving patient comfort while simultaneously freeing capacity in increasingly overcrowded health facilities?

The Health-Tech Summit showed both the remarkable progress that has been made in addressing these challenges, but that further thinking is still required to solve them. It is with immense pride that I can say the then Prime Minster of Pakistan, Anwarul Haq Kakar, took interest in attending the summit and made three commitments to help solve the country’s challenges through digitalisation, namely:

1) the creation of a Prime Minister’s Technology Council;

2) the creation of a Think Tank to develop policies that will help retain highly-skilled indigenous talent;

3) the implementation of a shared Electronic Health Records (EHR) system to ensure accessibility and transferability of patient data across all government hospitals. These initiatives will help ensure that digitalisation is supported by purpose: the increasing well-being of a country’s citizens.

As we continue to navigate the complexities of an increasingly digital world, let us heed the lessons of Japan's World Cup bow. Let us strive to harness the power of technology while remaining true to the principles and traditions that define us as societies. By nurturing ethical digitalisation, we can ensure that progress is not only measured in bytes and algorithms but also in the preservation of cultural integrity and the promotion of human values. In doing so, we can build a future where technological advancement coexists harmoniously with timeless traditions, creating a world that is both technologically advanced and culturally enriched. Indeed, a world where our children can carry forward the torch of innovation inherited from their ancestors, to thrive in a far more illuminated society.