Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which he had announced in his Independence Day address in 2020.
“Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will now connect the digital health solutions of hospitals across the country with each other,” Modi said during a virtual address.
The prime minister said that under the project, Indians will receive a digital health ID. “The health record of every citizen will be digitally protected,” the prime minister added.
The government has said that the digital health mission is aimed at creating a “seamless online platform through the provision of a wide-range of data, information and infrastructure services”.
“This mission will create interoperability within the digital health ecosystem, similar to the role played by the Unified Payments Interface in revolutionising payments,” the government added. “Citizens will only be a click-away from accessing healthcare facilities.
The ID that citizens will receive under the scheme is meant to function like a health account with which medical records can be linked.
Modi said on Monday that India is making efforts to develop a healthcare model that is holistic and inclusive. “A model that emphasises on the prevention of diseases,” Modi added. “Preventive healthcare should be affordable and accessible to all.”
The prime minister claimed that the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will help eliminate the problems that poor and middle-class citizens face in availing medical treatment, ANI reported.
He added: “The work done by Ayushman Bharat to connect patients with hospitals across the nation is being further expanded and given strong technology platform.”
Modi, while launching the health mission, thanked doctors and health workers for their contribution to the fight against Covid-19. “Be it vaccination or treatment of Covid-19-patients, their efforts gave a huge relief to the nation,” he said, according to ANI.
The prime minister also claimed “from vaccination registration to certification”, no system was as big as the government’s CoWin vaccination platform, NDTV reported.
Also read: Explainer: Does India need digital health records and can the draft policy protect sensitive data?
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!