FOR THE RECORD

A national health ID, with portable patient data, seems a big milestone in public healthcare, but challenges such as full integration, the lack of privacy safeguards and the risk of data misuse remain

- AMARNATH K. MENON AND SONALI ACHARJEE

On August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the ambitious National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), under which every Indian will be entitled to a national health identity card to access medical services. “This will work as a health account for every Indian. It will bring a revolution in India’s health sector and it will help reduce problems in getting treatment with the help of technology,” he declared. The health account will contain details of every test, disease, doctor visits, medicines prescribed and diagnosis. In the long term, all health-related data, including medical records of every individual, will be stored in a digital reservoir that can be accessed when a person checks in for treatment. Doctors will have the patient’s medical history on record to take the best possible decision.

When the NDHM is in place, it will improve health services delivery, lend itself to swifter medical responses, especially in tracking epidemics and seasonal illnesses and their spread, clinical research, economic research on costs and improved insurance cover. It will potentially reduce the challenges in medical treatment across the country by leveraging IT platforms to digitally connect every citizen with affordable and accessible medical care.