When the proliferation of mobile phones around the world has increased the awareness of their potential to promote healthy lifestyles and inform people of medically relevant information, the United Nations emphasizes the importance of mobile Health (mHealth) for the development and growth.
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, the President of the 66th Session of the General Assembly, urged leaders from around the world to promote applications which are able to prevent and control diseases through mobile phones:
"Only five years ago, who would have imagined that today a woman in sub-Saharan Africa could use a mobile phone to access health information on bringing her pregnancy safely to term, or that today a young person in the Middle East could use a mobile phone to help manage diabetes".
A new frontier is emerging. This digital health for development frontier represents a new approach to global health and could facilitate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)health targets.
The point of the MDGs is to foster growth and development by improving social and economic conditions in the world's poorest countries. The goals are derived from earlier international development targets, and were officially established following the Millennium Summit in 2000, where all world leaders present adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration.
Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health