The Prime Minister of India recently launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission via a video conference, coinciding with the National Health Authority’s third anniversary celebration of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. This initiative is a key component of the National Health Policy 2017, aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage. The purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth, fact-based exploration of this crucial nationwide project.
The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Explained
The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission’s primary objective is to provide all Indian citizens with digital health IDs. These IDs will enable hospitals, insurance firms, and individuals to access health records electronically when necessary. The Prime Minister announced the piloting of this mission from the Red Fort on 15th August 2020. Currently, the pilot phase of the project is ongoing in six states and union territories.
Features of the Mission
One of the mission’s critical elements is the issuance of a health ID for every citizen. This ID will also function as a personal health account, storing details about tests, diseases, visited doctors, medications taken, and diagnoses. The health ID is provided free of cost and is voluntary. It will facilitate health data analysis, leading to improved planning, budgeting, and implementation of health programs.
The Healthcare Facilities and Professionals’ Registry
In addition to the health ID, the program will also create a Healthcare Professionals’ Registry (HPR) and Healthcare Facilities Registry (HFR), making medical professionals and health infrastructure easily accessible electronically. The HPR will serve as a comprehensive repository for all healthcare professionals involved in delivering healthcare services across both modern and traditional medicine systems. The HFR database will hold records of all the nation’s healthcare facilities.
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Sandbox
A part of the mission, known as the Sandbox, will provide a testing framework for technology and products. It will assist organizations, including private entities intending to be a part of the national digital health ecosystem, to become Health Information Providers or Health Information Users or effectively link with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission’s building blocks.
Implementing Agency
The mission is being implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Expected Benefits
This initiative is expected to streamline business operations for doctors, hospitals, and healthcare service providers. It will enable citizens to access and exchange their longitudinal health records, creating a streamlined digital health ecosystem similar to what the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) achieved in revolutionising payments.
Potential Concerns
However, concerns have been raised about potential data misuse by private firms and bad actors given the lack of a data protection bill. Fears also exist about citizens being excluded or denied healthcare due to system faults.
Way Forward
The NDHM needs to recognize health as a justiciable right, leading to a push for drafting health as a right as prescribed in the draft National Health Policy, 2015. Learning from the failure of a similar NHS in the United Kingdom is imperative. Addressing the technical and implementation-related deficiencies prior to launching the mission on a pan India scale will be crucial. The standardisation of NDHM architecture across the nation will need to accommodate state-specific rules and must be synced with government schemes like Ayushman Bharat Yojana and other IT-enabled schemes such as Reproductive Child Health Care and NIKSHAY.