Context:

India has demonstrated its expertise in the digital sector by developing the Aadhaar digital identity system, the DPGs built on top of Aadhaar, and the Unified Payments Interface.

Aadhaar has emerged as a fundamental component of India’s governmental service delivery architecture, while UPI has revolutionised payment processes.

Our digital public infrastructure has proceeded to its last mile with the aid of 800 million internet users and 1.2 billion wireless connections.

The improvement of healthcare delivery facilities thanks to digital health systems:

India used information and communications technologies during the outbreak (ICTs).

Digital health technology proved crucial in bridging the gap as healthcare delivery systems went online to provide contactless care.

Two DPGs developed during the pandemic include the Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) and the Aarogya Setu application.

As a result of CoWIN, India altered its vaccination policy to be totally digital.

Aarogya Setu provided real-time information on open cases and containment regions to help locals assess the level of risk in their neighbourhoods.

During the pandemic, telemedicine platforms had a high increase in user acquisition as 85% of doctors used teleconsultations, underscoring the need for improved integration of cutting-edge digital technology into healthcare services.

Though the pandemic’s effects on healthcare services highlighted the benefits of digital innovation and technology-enabled solutions, the public sector, corporate organisations, and players in the health technology industry have all been instrumental in the sector’s digitisation for some time.

It is now clear that the advancement of proactive, comprehensive, and citizen-centric healthcare necessitates a full digital healthcare ecosystem that integrates the various siloed initiatives currently underway.

There are several government programmes to enhance digital health:

The government has created a framework for a national digital health system and shared public goods for healthcare in response to this necessity. The state of Indian healthcare changed as a result of this.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), which was overseen by the National Health Authority, was introduced by the PM on September 27, 2021. ABDM has established a strong basis for providing equitable, affordable, and accessible healthcare through digital highways a year after its launch.

The ABDM has put in place important building blocks to unite all participants in the digital healthcare ecosystem.

All healthcare providers provide their patients with a consistent identity through the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA).

Using the ABHA and the Personal Health Record (PHR) app, citizens can link, save, and share their health records to access healthcare services freely and with their consent. With more than 300 million ABHAs and 50 million linked health records, the mission is significantly growing.

The Health Facility Registry (HFR) and the Health Professional Registries (HPR):

It provides authorised digital IDs for large and small public and private healthcare facilities as well as professionals.

As a result, clients have access to a single source of precise information about healthcare providers and can link to a significant digital ecosystem.

HFR and HPR, which also make it easier to identify healthcare facilities, allow health practitioners to more easily create an online presence and sell their services.

The goal of the Drug Registry is to provide a single, up-to-date, central repository of all licenced pharmaceuticals across all medical systems.

The Unified Health Interface is a further DPG that will soon be available (UHI).

It aims to advance the healthcare sector by enabling all healthcare service providers and end-user applications to communicate with one another across its network.

This will make it easier to locate services, schedule appointments, use teleconsultations, access ambulances, and other services.

Because it is based on open network protocols, the UHI can address the problem of different digital solutions being unable to connect with one another.

Taking advantage of the advantages of the existing digital health platforms in use:

Aarogya Setu and CoWIN are being repurposed by the government to provide UHI the necessary push. From Aarogya Setu, a programme for overall health and wellness is being developed.

CoWIN will also be connected to a minimal Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) for small clinics in order to spread digitization.

Another application of ABDM is Scan and Share, which employs a token system based on QR codes to regulate line management at hospital counters. The fundamental elements of ABHA and PHR are used to expedite the outpatient registration procedure at large hospitals.

Conclusion:

The ABDM has been promoted for state adoption by the National Health Authority since it has proven to be a valuable tool.

By laying the foundation for a durable digital public health infrastructure, it hopes to advance the G20 concept of “One Earth. One Family. One Future” and help India achieve universal healthcare.

Moving ahead:

The deployment of digital technologies is followed by the process of digitising and automating the insurance claim settlement process through the Health Claim Exchange platform.

By making claim-related information verifiable, auditable, traceable, and interoperable among various institutions, claim processing would be made economical, transparent, and done in real time.

The government also plans to expand Heal by India’s digital healthcare initiatives, making Indian healthcare providers’ services available to the rest of the world.

Additionally, a technology is being developed to automate and improve the delivery of dead donor organ and tissue contributions.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, or ABDM:

It aims to develop the infrastructure needed to support the country’s integrated digital health infrastructure. It would reduce the distance between the various healthcare ecosystem stakeholders through digital highways.

In order to support universal health coverage in an efficient, affordable, accessible, inclusive, timely, and safe manner, as well as to provide a variety of data, information, and infrastructure services, as well as to effectively utilise open, interoperable, standards-based digital systems and ensure the security, confidentiality, and privacy of health-related personal information, a national digital health ecosystem is being developed.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission components

Only with the requisite authorization may new medical records be created and only then can they be given to the right person or seen by a health information user.

Before issuing the UHID, the system must collect certain basic data, like demographics, location, family/relationship, and contact details. The important thing is being able to quickly update contact details.

Individuals will be uniquely identified, authenticated, and connected to their health records across numerous systems and stakeholders using the ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) Number (but only with the patient’s informed consent).

ABHA mobile application (PHR):

In accordance with nationally recognised interoperability standards, a personal health record (PHR) is an electronic record of a person’s health-related information that is managed, shared, and controlled by the person.

The fact that the PHR puts the user in control of the information it holds, distinguishing it from the EMR and EHR, is its most salient feature.

Health Facility Register (HFR):

This comprehensive database lists all of the nation’s medical facilities from different medical systems. It includes both public and private healthcare establishments, including pharmacies, clinics, hospitals, diagnostic centres, and imaging facilities.

By registering with the Health Facility Registry, they can establish a connection to India’s digital health ecosystem.

A complete record of all healthcare professionals working in both traditional and contemporary medical systems is kept in the Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR). By registering for the Healthcare Professionals Registry, they will be able to link to India’s digital health ecosystem.