Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission today with the objective of creating a ‘seamless online platform’ that will facilitate interoperability within the digital health ecosystem in the country.
Described by Prime Minister Office as ‘a historic initiative’ here, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission “will create a seamless online platform through the provision of a wide-range of data, information and infrastructure services, duly leveraging open, interoperable, standards-based digital systems while ensuring the security, confidentiality and privacy of health-related personal information.”
The Prime Minister is scheduled to launch the mission via video conferencing on Monday. Modi had made an announcement about the pilot project of his government’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission from the ramparts of Red Fort on 15 August last year.
“Currently, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is being implemented in pilot phase in six Union Territories. The nation-wide rollout of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission coincides with NHA celebrating the third anniversary of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). The Union Health Minister will be present on the occasion,” a PMO note said.
Once fully implemented the mission will bring patients only a ‘click away’ for accessing healthcare facilities in the country, according to the government.
Highlighting the key components of the mission, the PMO note said, it would comprise a health ID for every citizen that will also work as their 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) that will act as a repository of all healthcare providers across both modern and traditional systems of medicine. This will ensure ease of doing business for doctors/hospitals and healthcare service providers.
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Sandbox, created as a part of the Mission, will act as a framework for technology and product testing that will help organizations, including private players, intending to be a part of National Digital Health Ecosystem, become a Health Information Provider or Health Information User or efficiently link with building blocks of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, the PMO note further elaborated about the central government’s initiative.