The Future of Health

Context: Citizen’s interest is at the core of National Digital Health Mission’s design. It will radically change the country’s health delivery landscape.

Significance of National Digital Health Mission:

• Enhances Effective Health Service Delivery: and help realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of providing health services to every citizen.

• Integrated Digital health Infrastructure: with its key building blocks such as:

• HealthID, 
• DigiDoctor, 
• Health Facility Registry, 
• Personal Health Records, 
• Telemedicine, and e-Pharmacy, 

• A step towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): of Universal Health Coverage as it encompasses key aspects of this goal including 

• financial risk protection, 

• access to quality essential healthcare services, medicines and vaccines for all. 

• Positive Impacts of Digital Intervention: Digitalization has increased the coverage and ease of delivery as demonstrated from previous successes:

• The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana scheme, through which 1.2 crore cashless secondary and tertiary care treatments have been provided using an indigenously developed state-of-the-art IT platform

• The Arogya Setu mobile app deploys ICT innovations for contract tracing to provide real-time information on COVID cases in the vicinity of the person with the app and also suggests the course of action based on a patient’s symptoms. 

• Citizens at the core of design: Several key stakeholders, including doctors, healthcare providers and citizens, have demonstrated their support for the project and helped in policy formulation.

Key Principles of National Digital Health Mission:

• Voluntary Scheme: The HealthID is entirely voluntary for citizens. 

• While such an ID will make availing healthcare radically simpler and stressfree, its absence will not mean denial of healthcare to a citizen.
• The use of Aadhaar is not mandatory.

• Mandatory Consent: is the prerogative of the HealthID holder to access and share his/her personal health record. -  ensures security and privacy.

• The consent can be withdrawn anytime.
• This empowers citizens to have more control over their data.

• Pre-established Foundations:

• Based on Fundamental Rights, Legislations: such as Aadhar Act 2016, IT Act of 2008 and Personal Data Protection Bill 2019.

• It follows Supreme Court precedents and democratic principles of cooperative federalism.

• Based on National Health Policy (NHP) 2017: The National Digital health Blueprint, proposed under the NHP 2017, act as the architectural framework.

• Inclusivity: It entails building specialised systems and offline modules that will be designed to reach out to the “unconnected”, marginalised, digitally illiterate, remote, hilly, and tribal populations.

• Sabka Saath Sabka Vishwas: Leveraging physical and social connections and networks of Panchayati Raj institutions, ASHA and Anganwadi workers.

• Partnerships with all stakeholders: — doctors, health service providers, technology solution providers and above all citizens.

Conclusion: NDHM aims to build a Digital Health Nation on the pragmatic principle of “Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast”. It pushes India’s aspiration towards self-reliance and Atma-nirbhar.