WeGO reboots its COVID-19 webinar series with 4th edition focused on EMEA
March 31, 2021
ONLINE – WeGO held a reboot edition of its Smart Health Responder webinar series, gathering diverse stakeholders from the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region to share their experience in dealing with the virus and insights on how to prepare for returning to normal life whilst the pandemic is still ongoing. Over 100 people from around the world participated in this event which marked the fourth installment of the COVID-19 related webinars WeGO has been organizing as part of its Smart Health Responder, a platform launched to provide members and partners with useful information to help combat the virus.
While the three previous webinars focused on sharing best practice from the Asia-Pacific region, successful policies from the Americas, and a global discussion on the new reality we live in, respectively, this fourth edition sought to deliver the most recent developments, current status and the effective strategies of leading smart cities in finding smart solutions for addressing the issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the EMEA region.
To open the webinar, WeGO Secretary General reminded participants that precaution, prevention and preparation are essential in the continuous fight against the pandemic, the Honorary Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council stressed the importance of using technology to solve health-related challenges.
In the first session, the Executive Director of Scotland Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre argued for the need of governments to change their perspective on healthcare and consider it as an investment with the citizens in focus whilst the deputy chief resilience officer of Ramallah emphasized the important role of digitalization in the city’s strategic framework to improve resilience. Next off, a representative from Engineering ITS gave participants a glimpse of how digital technology can be utilized to aid tourism and ease mobility of citizens in crowded urban areas, and the CEO of Mobihealth International delved into the rise of telemedicine in Africa and explained the benefits of remote medical services in the time of pandemic and beyond.
Thereafter, two European companies, Breeze Technologies and Watalux, shared their innovative solutions for creating a COVID19-free environment, related to air quality and water treatment and disinfection, to mitigate virus transmission from both these media.
To end the discussion, local government representatives from EMEA, including Beyoğlu, Tshwane and the Spanish Network of Intelligent Cities (RECI) were invited to comment on the topic, and all recognized the role digitalization has played in containing the outbreak.
A follow-up webinar on the Smart Health Responder and WeGO’s plan to expand the functionality of its platform is scheduled for July. Interested partners, exports or professionals in the health sector are invited to contact the WeGO Secretariat for potential participation.
To rewatch the event and view the presentation material, click here.
