Nepal, Feb. 1 -- Inside the District Hospital in Mugu, one of Nepal's remotest and underserved regions, hospital staff enter details of an elderly female patient with a prolapsed uterus into a computer instead of writing them into a heavy ledger like they used to.

This may seem like a modest improvement, but it is transforming medical care in the most isolated parts of Nepal - proving that digital systems can help the country leapfrog in strengthening healthcare delivery even in the most challenging setting.

In the past year, Nepal's national health insurance information system experienced a major failure that exposed critical vulnerabilities. Months of insurance claims were inaccessible overnight, placing hospitals, particularly rura...