Southeast Asian Countries Discuss Next Phase of Digital Health Transformation: Agreement on FHIR Standard Adoption

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Representatives from various South-East Asian countries (including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste) attended the Regional Open Digital Health Summit (RODHS) 2025 in New Delhi. The focus was on translating broad digital health visions into practical systems, emphasizing standardization and ensuring interoperability for data exchange. A major agreement reached was the adoption of the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard. Countries plan to transition gradually toward FHIR, utilizing adapters and pilot testing to safely upgrade older systems. Furthermore, the importance of governance was stressed alongside technology, confirming that strong data protection laws and citizen-focused frameworks are essential. Country progress reports included India showcasing platforms like HMIS, Sri Lanka presenting advances in FHIR-based health records and disease surveillance. Overall, there is a push to move from small, standalone pilot projects toward integrated digital health ecosystems, aiming for unified public health networks that incorporate telemedicine and drone delivery. The discussion reaffirmed that adopting WHO's SMART Guidelines and HL7 FHIR standards are key to solving long-standing issues like fragmented data and inconsistent definitions. Ultimately, consensus was reached that technology implementation must be preceded by law, governance, and trust.