PM Modi launches Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission via video conferencing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission through video conferencing on Monday. The pilot project of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission was announced by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15 last year. Currently, the programme is being implemented on a pilot basis in six Union Territories.

“Today begins a Mission that has the power to bring a revolutionary change in India’s health facilities. Three years ago, on Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s birth anniversary, Ayushman Bharat Yojana was implemented. Happy that Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is being started nationwide from today,” said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister said that in the last seven years, the campaign, which has been going on for the last seven years to strengthen the health services of the country, is entering a new phase from today.

“We have been able to take the vaccine to everyone, under the free vaccine campaign. India has been able to apply about 90 crore vaccine doses today, and Co-WIN has a big role in it,” he said

Ahead of the launch Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, “On 15th August 2020, PM Modi had announced the mission (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission) from the ramparts of the Red Fort. I am happy that he is launching it today. I believe that this will bring a revolutionary change in the health sector.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the nation-wide rollout of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission coincides with the National Health Authority (NHA) celebrating the third anniversary of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will be present on the occasion.

PMO said 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 security confidentiality and privacy of health-related personal information.

The Mission will enable access and exchange of longitudinal health records of citizens with their consent.

“The key components of the Mission include 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 HealthcareFacilities 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,” the release said.

“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 the National Digital Health Ecosystem become a Health Information Provideror Health Information User or efficiently link with building blocks of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission,” it added.

“The Centre believes that the Mission will create interoperability within the digital health ecosystem, similar to the role played by the Unified Payments Interface in revolutionizing payments. “Citizens will only be a click away from accessing healthcare facilities,” said PMO.