On December 14, 2020, Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHF&W) has approved the health data management policy of the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) to protect and manage personal data of patients using the digital services of the scheme.
- The policy has laid minimum standards for data privacy protection in order to ensure compliance with relevant and applicable laws, rules and regulations.
- It will acts as a guidance document across the National Digital Health Ecosystem (NDHE)
- The government has instructed that this policy is to be read along with any applicable law, or any instrument, and not in contradiction to.
What is the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM)?
Formulated by MoHF&W, it aims to provide the necessary support for integration of digital health infrastructure in the country. It intends to digitize healthcare in India.
- Its digital facility includes Health ID, Digi-Doctor, Health Facility Registry (HFR), Personal Health Records (PHR), and Electronic Medical Records.
- National Health Authority (NHA) is the apex government agency responsible for the design, roll-out, implementation and management of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and the National Digital Health Mission across the country.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO– Dr Indu Bhushan
Key Points from policy
–Data collected across the NDHE will be stored in at the central level, the state or Union Territory (UT) level and at the health facility level, by adopting the principle of minimality at each point.
–The provisions of this policy will apply to the entities involved in the NDHM and those who are a part of the NDHE.
–It would also apply to any healthcare provider who collects, stores and transmits health data in electronic form, insurers, charitable institutions, pharmaceuticals and all individuals, teams, entities who collect or process personal or sensitive data of any individual as part of the NDHE.
Recent Related News:
i.On November 18, 2020, the Ministerial meeting of the Global Prevention Coalition (GPC) for HIV (HumanImmunodeficiency Virus) Prevention 2020 was virtually hosted by UNAIDS (United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) on behalf of the HIV GPC. From India, Dr.Harsh Vardhan addressed the meet.
ii.On October 14, 2020 Dr Harsh Vardhan virtually launched the Second Phase of “Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana” from Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi. It will benefit underprivileged patients.
About Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW):
Union Minister– Harsh Vardhan (Constituency- Chandni Chowk,New Delhi)
Minister of State (MoS)– Ashwini Kumar Choubey
