Telemedicine & Digital Healthcare Around the World

We are approaching a new era for healthcare, as an ever-growing number of services become digitalised. Right now, 82% of citizens in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries have access to digital healthcare services, and the healthcare sector already generates around 30% of the world’s data volume.

This is not a new trend, but – over the last few years – the introduction of AI has rapidly accelerated growth in this sector. The AI-driven digital healthcare market is growing at an unprecedented rate of 37% year-on-year and is expected to be worth over US$187 billion globally by 2030 (up from just US$15 billion in 2022).

In short, we are in the early stages of a global healthcare revolution. By the end of this decade, our healthcare experiences may be almost entirely digitalised. The only question now is: what will that look like?

In this article, we’ve gone around the world to take a look at some of the ways healthcare is already becoming virtual, where the healthcare industry may be heading next, and – most importantly – what it means for you as an expat.

How are healthcare services digitalising?

Digitalisation encompasses a wide range of methodologies and strategies, all of which aim towards making healthcare services digital-first.

Becoming digital-first means that a healthcare service utilises technology to reduce administration, improve efficiency and deliver benefits directly to the patient.

Some of the most common ways healthcare services are digitalising around the world include:

1/ Electronic health records

With electronic health records (EHRs), medical professionals are able to store patient details in a centralised database, which can then be accessed by other healthcare professionals. This benefits the patient by ensuring any medical professional can access their medical records and use this information to inform their treatment (without the patient needing to provide them with a physical copy).

These databases also act as valuable sources of data, allowing health services to analyse trends in patient records and use the data to inform national healthcare strategies such as preventative healthcare, pandemic responses, vaccination drives and so on.

EHRs are one of the most widely-adopted digital healthcare services worldwide. 87% of countries in the United Nations have a national EHR. However, there are still many obstacles on the road ahead: 37% of national EHRs in the UN are under-funded, while in the OECD, only 15 out of 27 countries have a nationally unified system.

2/ Remote patient monitoring

Wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers have become very common – around 59% of people in the US own one. Wearable devices allow people to track their biometrics – everything from their heart rate, body temperature, sleep records and menstrual cycles, to more specific measurements such as blood glucose levels, blood oxygen and UV exposure.

With the help of wearable devices, medical professionals are able to use remote patient monitoring to track their patients’ biometrics throughout the day. This allows them to improve diagnoses without having to keep the patient in the hospital for monitoring.

Remote patient monitoring is still improving rapidly. Not only are wearables becoming more attuned to a broader range of biometrics, but with the help of AI, they are also opening new frontiers of predictive analytics and data integration, which is enabling earlier prediction of disease indicators.

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3/ AI-driven diagnostics

Artificial intelligence is helping clinicians unlock the power of data like never before. Powered by the enormous wealth of data gathered from electronic health records and remote patient monitoring, AI is helping to spot trends and patterns in health data like never before. This is helping doctors to create faster, more accurate diagnoses.

AI-driven diagnostics have been found to produce around 90% accuracy when used, and the market is growing at an enormous rate of 46% YOY, and is expected to be worth over US$200 billion by 2034.

In the future, we may start to see AI being used at the first point of diagnosis – in other words, rather than going to a primary physician, patients may be able to speak to an AI diagnostic chatbot to receive an initial diagnosis.

4/ Telemedicine

One of the biggest developments to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is telemedicine (also called telehealth). This is a service in which people are able to speak to a medical professional remotely, replacing the need for patients to visit a surgery, clinic or hospital to receive medical advice. Methods of communication could include a telephone call, video conferencing or home visits.

Over 100 million people worldwide already use telemedicine services, and many of those that do show a strong preference towards it. Countries like Norway have already started to adopt telemedicine as their preferred means of connecting patients to medical professionals, and many more countries are expected to follow suit.

There are also many types of telemedicine that medical professionals are exploring:

Telepharmacy allows patients to speak to a pharmacist and order prescription medication remotely
Teletherapy allows patients to speak to a therapist or counsellor
Telerehabilitation encourages patients to complete rehabilitation exercises in the comfort of their own home (after an initial consultation) with the help of a rehabilitation expert

There are still many other forms of telemedicine yet to be explored.

While digital tools and AI are transforming how healthcare is delivered, they are designed to support medical professionals rather than replace them.

If you have ongoing symptoms or concerns, it is always important to seek advice from a qualified doctor, whether through a virtual consultation or an in-person appointment, to ensure you receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate care.

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Which countries have digitalised their health systems?

Some countries are already ahead of the curve when it comes to offering digitalised healthcare.

Let’s look at some of the countries around the world that have started to integrate digital systems into their national health services.

1/ United Kingdom

The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK started moving to a digital-first model as early as 2013 and achieved mass adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, more than 39 million people in the UK use the NHS app to access their medical records and book consultations. The NHS had provided more than a billion e-prescriptions by 2022.

2/ Germany

A pioneering country in the realm of digitalised healthcare, Germany is the third-largest investor worldwide in medical technology. From October 2025, Germany made it mandatory for all healthcare providers to use its centralised digital medical record system, ePA, with all German citizens automatically enrolled. Germany was also the first country to implement a fast track system for medical professionals to make digital prescriptions, known as DiGA.

3/ France

In 2021, France invested €2 billion in the Ségur du Numérique en Santé, a five-year plan to support the development of a digital healthcare ecosystem. This has so far included the roll-out of Mon Espace Santé, the country’s electronic health record system, the enshrinement of telemedicine within French common law, and the ability for patients to receive wearable devices through their national health insurance.

4/ Japan

Japan was among the first countries to provide software-based treatment through its national healthcare system. In 2023, Japan implemented a number of policies – while also rolling back regulation – designed to support the digitalisation of its healthcare system. This included the establishment of a national Healthcare Information Platform and the digitalisation of its National Health Insurance scheme. Japan’s number one priority is to support its rapidly aging population, and is therefore investing heavily in medical robotics, AI and other technologies.

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5/ Norway

Norway was an early adopter of digitalisation. As far back as 2011, Norway created an online health portal. In 2013, Norway started to provide electronic prescriptions, followed by the digitalisation of medical records in 2018. After the pandemic, Norway launched a new national strategy for the digitalisation of health services, called the Norwegian eHealth Directorate 2023–2030.

6/ Poland

Poland’s national healthcare digitalisation scheme is managed under the eHealth Center initiative, which was created by the Online Health Center for 2023–2027 strategy by the Innovation Department of the Ministry of Health. The platform welcomes submissions from local entrepreneurs with an interest in developing healthcare technology, and already manages over 17 million digital patient records.

7/ Switzerland

After identifying digital weaknesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, Switzerland committed to DigiSanté, a national program to digitalise its healthcare system beginning in 2025, and into which the federal government is investing over €400 million. One of the plan’s first steps is to digitalise patient healthcare records across the country.

8/ Czechia

Another European country that was ahead of the curve, Czechia started to digitalise its national healthcare system in 2019, with an investment of over €50 million. The first step was the roll-out of FNOL, a national telemedicine scheme. Since then, they have also introduced an ePrescription service, electronic patient records, and an online directory of all healthcare providers in the country.

9/ Saudi Arabia

Launched in 2022, Saudi Arabia’s Seha Virtual Hospital brings together a network of 130 hospitals across the country. Ensuring every hospital can benefit from the specialisms of other hospitals, and therefore mitigating the need for patients to travel across the country to get the consultation they need, Seha Virtual Hospital provides patients access to eight specialised clinics via live video consultations, and includes remote, 24-hour monitoring through digital devices. It currently treats some 400,000 patients a year.

10/ United States

While the US does not have a nationalised healthcare programme, one hospital in Chesterfield, Missouri, is providing its patients with next-generation innovations in virtual healthcare. Launched in 2015, the US$54 million Mercy Virtual centre is the world’s first facility dedicated to telehealth. It provides 24/7 remote care to over 600,000 patients across seven states and has been dubbed ‘the hospital without beds’.

Other countries

Many other countries worldwide are in the midst of digitalising their healthcare systems, all with various levels of progress. The key focus for the majority of these countries is to develop electronic health records, while some countries are also turning their attention to telemedicine services.

Keep your eyes peeled for Austria, Australia, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden, who are all actively investing in digitalising their healthcare programmes.

Different countries have different types of healthcare systems

What telemedicine and virtual healthcare means for expats

As an expat, you’ll understand the struggle that comes when you try to navigate a foreign healthcare system. Without access to your electronic health records, you may need to endure a great deal of bureaucracy to register with a GP and access the services you need.

Digitalised healthcare systems promise to be a significant benefit for expats by allowing countries to share and access healthcare records, even with other countries. With your healthcare record digitalised, your data can be easily shared across borders, helping you to seamlessly access healthcare services in another country.

Additional services such as telemedicine and remote patient monitoring then enhance your healthcare experience. They not only offer you more personalised care, they also make it easier for you to access the services you need, when you need them.

By making the healthcare experience more streamlined, you’ll have more time to focus on the things that really matter: whether that’s work, time with family, or exploring your new home.

Digitalising healthcare systems offers a great number of benefits for expats. Before moving abroad, you may wish to ask yourself:

Does my new home country offer digital healthcare services?
Can I access them as an expat?
How do I take full advantage to improve my overall healthcare experience?

It’s important to think about the quality of healthcare you’ll receive

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Virtual healthcare services: Benefits for international employers

If you are an employer with staff living abroad, digitalised healthcare services could provide a benefit to you too. By helping your employees access healthcare on demand, digitalised health services can help them to live a comfortable life overseas. This could mean fewer sick days, improved productivity and higher employee satisfaction, among many other benefits.

Consider, for instance, an employee who needs to take time to visit their GP in a foreign country. If their healthcare services are not digitalised, they may struggle to find a doctor, book an appointment and share their health records.

They may then need time off work to attend their appointment. If that same employee had access to digitalised services, they would be able to book and attend their appointment virtually, while their physician could easily receive their health records electronically.

This would improve their overall experience, while reducing the time they needed off work, and could even produce a more positive outcome, meaning a reduced likelihood of long-term sickness.

Studies have indeed shown that digital healthcare services can have a positive impact on employee health, well-being and productivity – especially in the realm of mental health. As an employer, it may therefore be a good idea to consider the impact of adding digitalised health services to your employee benefits and employee wellness programmes.

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Elevate: worldwide 24/7 telemedicine services for all William Russell health insurance members

While not all countries provide digitalised healthcare services yet, one way you can guarantee access to the latest healthcare technology is with Elevate from William Russell.

Elevate is a curated selection of complimentary services for all William Russell members, supporting your health, mind, well-being and safety.

With Elevate, you get access to a range of digital services, hand-picked to support your life abroad. These include:

Elevate your health

Access to My Global Doctor, a telemedicine service that lets you access primary healthcare from anywhere in the world, 24/7.*

Elevate your mind

Up to six confidential virtual counselling sessions exclusively for William Russell international health insurance members.*

Elevate your well-being

TELUS Health Engage lets you set personal goals, track progress, and stay motivated with access to exclusive discounts and prizes.

Elevate your safety

Stay one step ahead of global threats with Solace Secure, protecting you and your family’s safety and security worldwide.

*Elevate Health and Mind are only available to international health insurance members.

With Elevate, you can access digital healthcare services anywhere in the world. My Global Doctor gives you unlimited access to a virtual telemedicine service, letting you speak to a primary physician anytime, anywhere, and receive specialist referrals and advice. My Global Doctor even offers ePharmacy services in selected countries, with prescriptions delivered direct to your door.

And to help you manage your well-being, the TELUS Health Engage platform includes thousands of pieces of content, with gamified well-being challenges that include rewards and incentives to help you achieve your goals. International health insurance members can also use their platform to take advantage of up to six confidential counselling sessions with a licensed therapist.

Elevate is included with all new William Russell policies, including our international health, life, income protection and group insurance plans.

All services are subject to the William Russell Fair Usage Policy.

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Health insurance, tailor-made for expats like you

For over 30 years, William Russell has helped expats like you access the highest-quality healthcare in over 160 countries. Our international health insurance gives you access to private healthcare worldwide, with the freedom to choose where you receive treatment, and always covering a range of services to help you make the most of your life abroad.

And with our new Elevate proposition, you can even benefit from digitalised health services. Now, no matter where you are, you’ll only be a few clicks away from the digital healthcare services you need – including My Global Doctor, your own global telemedicine service.

Terms & conditions apply to our insurance products and services. You can find full details of what our plans cover (and what they don’t cover) in our plan agreements.

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Telemedicine And Virtual Healthcare Services Around The World

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