Is it better to bring digital health tools together? Where Burkina Faso is going with a minimal digital ecosystem (MDE)

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Digital health technologies are proliferating in low-income countries. However, they are not always optimally integrated and focused on health system priorities. To improve the performance of primary health care and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage, Burkina Faso aims to bring together eight digital health tools in two health districts as a pilot project, an initiative known as the ‘Minimal Digital Ecosystem’. A co-creation approach is used to develop and implement these tools, involving the Ministry of Health, international nongovernmental organizations that promote the tools, donors and researchers. Despite the many challenges in developing and deploying it, the minimal digital ecosystem (MDE) is a promising experiment that deserves special attention to reap its full benefits.