Warwick Law School was delighted to welcome participants to campus last week for a topical summer school on digital health apps and regulation, organised by the There Is No App For This! project team.

On 4-8 September 2023, 30 participants from Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, India, Singapore, the Netherlands, Columbia and the United Kingdom gathered in-person and online for a series of engaging discussions and collaborative exploration, delving deep into the multifaceted challenges presented by the digital health landscape.

Throughout the week, they sought to understand the legal, policy and regulatory reforms needed to ensure that technological advancements uphold the values of privacy, security, and ethical responsibility. These discussions are of paramount importance as they seek to answer fundamental questions, including: how can we strike a balance between the convenience and functionality of health tracking apps and digital technologies while safeguarding the right to privacy and protecting against potential human rights infringements?

Key highlights from the week include talks from:

• Mr Solomon Muhumuza, Ministry of Health (Uganda) who shared his expertise on the regulatory work on digital health within the Ministry of Health in Uganda, offering unique public sector insights.
• Professor Pamela Andanda, University of Witwatersrand who highlighted how the regulatory themes discussed at the workshop will inform future work to find common ground in developing more harmonised Pan African guidelines for health data regulation.
• Dr Ben Mkalama, University of Nairobi who led an interactive discussion on innovative regulation through sandboxing.

Solomon Muhumuza, Ministry of Health (Uganda) who was a participant of the event said:

"I was particularly impressed by the diverse range of participants. It provided me with a valuable opportunity to identify civil society organizations in Uganda with whom I can collaborate. The networking opportunities between government and CSOs was the highlight for me."

Professor Sharifah Sekalala, Principal Investigator for There is No App For This! project said:

“We were delighted to welcome a wide range of stakeholders to Warwick to discuss digital health. This kind of event is at the heart of the socio legal approach of law that WLS is famous for as it encourages multiple stakeholders to collectively find solutions to regulatory problems.”

The There Is No App For This! project, is funded by the Wellcome Trust and explores the regulation of health apps in Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa. The project assesses data protection, engages with stakeholders, and aims to improve regulatory frameworks.

Above: Photos from Day 1. AM session (right) features discussions relating to digital health, governance and ethics. PM session (left) features discussions on exploring regulatory solutions.

Read more

• View the full programme from the summer school.
• Read more about the There Is No App For This! project group and keep up to date with the latest news on Twitter.