Equity, trust, and digital recovery: Using digital health and artificial intelligence in post-conflict health systems

Health systems emerging from conflict face prolonged fragility, characterized by damaged infrastructure, disrupted supply chains, workforce shortages, population displacement, fragmented governance, and recurrent insecurity. These conditions hinder care delivery, with rural and displaced populations suffering the most. The central challenge is not only rebuilding what has been destroyed but restoring continuity of care in fragile environments. Digital health and artificial intelligence (AI) have gained attention for their potential to address gaps in access, coordination, and workforce capacity. Telemedicine can connect remote patients and providers, mobile health platforms can deliver education and reminders, and digital records can improve care continuity. AI tools, such as predictive models and diagnostic support, may also assist in outbreak surveillance and decision-making. However, the promise of digital health in post-conflict settings must be approached cautiously. Technology is not neutral and requires careful alignment with social, political, and infrastructural contexts. Poorly implemented tools may exacerbate exclusion, compromise data security, and erode community trust. To be effective, digital health interventions must prioritize equity, data security, system integration, and community trust. Tools must address specific system problems, fit local contexts, and include governance protections. This paper argues that digital health and AI should be integrated into broader health system recovery efforts, focusing on strengthening public health functions under conditions of fragility. Their success depends on addressing inequities, ensuring data security, building local capacity, and fostering trust. Digital technologies should be seen as enablers of recovery, not as substitutes for the foundational elements of functioning health systems.