PM launches digital health IDs in country
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a programme that will create a unique digital health identity for over 1.3 billion people and allow them to access their records online, part of an effort to enhance efficiency in a healthcare system constrained by the pandemic.
Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, a centralised digital ID will hold the health records of the recipient.
In his address after the launch, Modi described it as a “revolutionary” new phase for the country and said the mission marks a new phase in the efforts to strengthen health facilities in India.
The launch, however, comes amid concerns over privacy, given there is no data protection law in the country and a panel of lawmakers are scrutinising a bill.
The pilot project of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission was announced by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, 2020. It was implemented in six union territories, and is now being rolled out nationwide.
“It will bring all stakeholders in the field of health on a single platform and also help a patient connect with a doctor who speaks the same language,” he said in a digital address.
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will provide reliable data, leading to better treatment and ensuring savings for patients, he said.
He said that under the mission, people of the country will now get a digital health ID. Health records of every citizen will be digitally protected, he said, adding that the poor and the middle class will benefit the most from this mission.
Noting that digital infrastructure is bringing everything from “ration to administration” to Indians in a fast and transparent manner, the Prime Minister said, “the way technology is being deployed in governance reforms today is unprecedented”.
Emphasising on the importance of technology, the PM pointed out that the Aarogya Setu app helped in preventing the spread of the coronavirus infection in India.
He also noted that India has been able to administer about 900 million vaccine doses, and the Co-WIN application and its portal played a big role in it.
The Prime Minister then touched upon the reach of Unified Payments Interface (UPI), saying that no other country has a digital infrastructure has huge as India’s, which has about 800 million internet users and around 430 million bank accounts under Jan Dhan Yojana.
The key components of this scheme, which is also called the National Digital Health Mission or the PM Digital Health Mission, are a health identity card for every citizen, a healthcare professionals’ registry, and healthcare facilities registries.
The key components of the digital mission include a health ID for every citizen.
This will work as health account, to which personal health records can be linked and viewed with the help of a mobile application, a Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and Healthcare Facilities Registries (HFR).
This will ensure ease of doing business for doctors, hospitals and healthcare service providers, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
This mission will also create interoperability within the digital health ecosystem, similar to the role played by the Unified Payments Interface in revolutionising payments, the PMO said.
The scheme’s nationwide rollout on Monday also coincides with the the third anniversary of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). The scheme provides health insurance up to ₹5 lakh to the poor.
Today begins a mission that has the power to bring a revolutionary change in India’s health facilities NARENDRA MODI