INTRODUCTION:
Digital health has become a strategic component of national health policies, reflecting societal values, governance arrangements, and technological priorities within health systems. In the global south, digital health strategies are shaped by diverse institutional trajectories and political commitments regarding the role of the state, public interest in health data, and regulation of digital technologies. Comparative analysis offers insights into these differences.

METHODS:
his round table adopts a comparative qualitative approach based on the analysis of national digital health strategies, policy frameworks, and institutional experiences from Brazil, China, and Mozambique. The discussion is structured around three analytical dimensions: underlying values guiding digital health policies, technological orientations prioritized by national strategies. Each country case is presented by experts with direct involvement in policy formulation, implementation, or evaluation.

RESULTS:
The comparison reveals distinct yet complementary national strategies. China presents a state-centered model based on strong national planning, large-scale health information infrastructures, and comprehensive regulatory frameworks governing data security, interoperability, and digital technologies, framing digital health as a collective asset for system-wide coordination. Brazil illustrates a rights-based approach rooted in constitutional commitments to universal health, where digital health strategies focus on national data integration within the Unified Health System amid ongoing debates on governance, participation, transparency, and public–private relations. Mozambique demonstrates a health system–oriented strategy in which digital health is embedded in a national framework aligned with public health priorities, interoperability, workforce development, and strengthened state coordination to support continuity of care, surveillance, and service integration.

RESULTS:
The comparative analysis shows that digital health strategies are shaped primarily by values and governance choices rather than technology alone. South–South perspectives highlight multiple pathways for aligning digital innovation with public interest, equity, and health system strengthening, offering relevant lessons for future national digital health strategies.