Government to issue Aadhaar Linked Unique Health IDs

The central government is considering a way to generate the digital unique health identification (UHID) numbers at the COVID-19 vaccination programme. The health identification number would be issued for citizens who will link their Aadhaar cards.

How this system will work?

When the person will use their Aadhaar card as ID proof to register for the coronavirus vaccine, the authorities will use this information immediately to generate an UHID for them.

Significance of the UHID

The unique health Identification number will be used to maintain the digital records of the individual’s health history in hospitals.  In this way, these details would become part of the government records.

Concerns

The government maintains that, there is one technical hiccup while generating the UHID. There could be legal implications of using Aadhaar as ID proof in its rules of vaccinating the healthcare workers. Further, the Aadhaar was not mentioned as a valid photo ID proof while the Centre built roadmap for vaccinating the healthcare workers.

Facts for Prelims: Aadhaar

Aadhar is a 12-digit unique identity number.  It can be obtained voluntarily by residents or passport holders of India. The Aadhar is generated using the biometric and demographic data of the person. These data are collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).  Aadhaar is the world’s largest biometric Identification system. Aadhaar is a proof of residence but it is not a proof of citizenship. It does not grant rights to domicile in India. Also, Aadhaar is not considered as a valid identification document for Indians who are travelling to Nepal and Bhutan.

Facts for Prelims: Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

It is a statutory authority and a government department. The department was established on July 12, 2016 by the Government of India. The department works under the parent head of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology as per the Aadhaar Act 2016.