What is National Digital Health Mission? How Will Health ID Work?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the government’s National Digital Health Mission on 15 August. So what is it?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 15 August , announced the government’s National Digital Health Mission while addressing the nation on the occasion of 74th Indian Independence Day.

(Photo: BJP/ Twitter)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 15 August, announced the government’s National Digital Health Mission while addressing the nation on the occasion of 74th Independence Day.

The mission is set to be another flagship project of the government like the Ayushman Bharat insurance scheme.

What is it and how will it affect us? Read on.

What is the National Digital Health Mission?

This is a digital health ecosystem being announced by the government under which every Indian citizen will have unique health IDs, digitised health records as well as a registry of doctors and health facilities.

What is a Health ID? What will it do?

A Unique Health ID will be provided to every citizen which will contain details of their diseases, diagnoses, report, medication etc., in a common database through a single ID. This will essentially be a digitised version of all their health records. This digital database will be linked to the registry of doctors and health facilities across the country.

How will this Health ID work?

PM Modi said that all this information about whatever medicine a doctor prescribed, when it was prescribed as well as what the reports were will be linked to a person’s health ID. It will be be like a digitised “swasth khata” (health book) for a patient and will contain details of their medical history, physicians consulted, tests done etc. The health ID will reportedly be in the form of a mobile app.

Where can I use this ID? Will my data be protected?

This ID will reportedly be applicable across states, hospitals, diagnostic laboratories and pharmacies. The government has assured that the data provided will be protected and health records will only be shared after authorisation by an individual. Similarly, it is voluntary for hospitals and doctors to provide details for the app.

Is it necessary for me to enrol in this project?

No, the government has said that the enrolment in the initiative will be voluntary.

What is the aim of this project?

PM Modi said that this project will leverage the power of technology to create a healthier India.

When was this project first spoken of?

The blueprint of the scheme was reportedly launched in 2019, and sought to provide affordable and high-quality healthcare by leveraging open digital systems.