I had the opportunity to attend the Digital Transformation Summit 2026, held from 19–22 July 2026 at the Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby. As a doctor working in pathology, most of my work happens within the laboratory, where a large amount of healthcare data is generated and where almost every ward and department within a hospital connects. I attended the summit from the perspective of health informatics and digital transformation, representing the hospital’s Pathology Informatics Committee. My work involves driving initiatives that use digital tools, data systems, and improved workflows to strengthen healthcare delivery.

Health informatics is an interdisciplinary field that sits at the intersection of healthcare, information science, and technology. It focuses on the effective use of health data, information, and knowledge to support clinical decision-making, research, and improvements in healthcare delivery. Papua New Guinea is now entering a stage where we are beginning to see specialists emerge in this area. As healthcare data continues to grow, it needs to be stored, transferred, analysed, and interpreted effectively to generate insights and support better decisions.

Traditionally, our focus as doctors has been answering the question: “What is the diagnosis?” However, another important question is: “How can we improve the way we arrive at that diagnosis?”

This is where health informatics plays an important role by connecting medicine, data, and technology. It involves understanding healthcare workflows and translating clinical needs into digital solutions that support better healthcare delivery.

The Digital Transformation Summit 2026 provided an opportunity to understand how digital transformation is shaping Papua New Guinea’s future. The four-day event brought together government leaders, industry experts, and technology professionals through keynote presentations, panel discussions, exhibition booths, a hackathon, cybersecurity exercises, and networking opportunities.

For me, the summit connected the challenges we experience in healthcare with the wider direction of ICT and the national digital agenda. Traditional ICT focuses on infrastructure such as computers, networks, and connectivity, while healthcare professionals understand clinical workflows, laboratories, and patient care. Health informatics exists between these two areas, bridging healthcare needs with technology.

This connection is increasingly important in Papua New Guinea, where workforce limitations remain a major challenge. While training more specialists remains essential, we must also explore how digital tools and better use of data can support healthcare workers and improve efficiency.

Three key areas from the summit stood out as important foundations for the future of healthcare in Papua New Guinea.

The first was the role of Digital Transformation Officers (DTOs). The Digital Government Act 2022 supports the appointment of DTOs across government institutions to coordinate digital transformation. In healthcare, establishing DTO roles within Provincial Health Authorities (PHAs), hospitals, and health institutions could help bridge clinicians, administrators, and ICT teams, ensuring digital projects are aligned with clinical needs and healthcare workflows.

The second was Kumul Cloud Infinity and digital sovereignty. Kumul Cloud Infinity represents Papua New Guinea’s first sovereign AI cloud infrastructure initiative, developed through a partnership between Telikom Limited, Datec PNG, and CloudSigma. Cloud infrastructure provides the foundation for storing, managing, and accessing digital information. For healthcare, this has important implications for data sovereignty, data residency, privacy, and the secure management of sensitive health information. It provides a foundation for future digital health systems, including electronic medical records, laboratory information systems, and health data analytics.

The third was building digital capability through SFIA. The Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), launched in Papua New Guinea by NICTA, provides a framework for defining digital skills, assessing capability, and guiding professional development across the country. A country-wide SFIA licence provides a common language for understanding digital capability across sectors. Digital transformation is not only the responsibility of ICT professionals. Healthcare workers, scientists, and other specialists who increasingly work with data and technology will also need to develop these capabilities.

The Digital Transformation Summit 2026 highlighted that the future of healthcare is not only about more treatments or specialists, but also about connecting medicine, data, and technology. As Papua New Guinea continues its digital transformation journey, healthcare professionals have an important role in shaping this future by contributing their clinical knowledge to the design of better digital health systems.