Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission stresses digital hygiene for consumers as more medical records go online

As moremedical records get online with the Centre’s nudge on Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), the need for digital hygiene becomes more important than ever.

Just as you lock the doors and secure your home before leaving or take precautions in a place known to be unsafe, consumers need to adopt similar protective behaviour in their digital life too,  says co-founder DRiefcase Sohit Kapoor, on responsible behaviour to keep medical data safe.

DRiefcase is the first health locker integrated into the ABDM, the Government infrastructure on which private companies innovate and provide services, explains Kapoor. And with a regulatory framework (including the Data Protection Bill) and standard operating protocols being put in place to protect access and use of healthcare data, consumers will be empowered to control who uses their medical data, for what period  and so on, he adds.

“The most important part of ABDM is (that) no healthcare information moves without your consent. So privacy is guaranteed…. control is with the patient,” Kapoor told businessline, pointing to the links between the ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts), medical records and the personal health record (PHR) app that DRiefcase has since developed. Other service providers are also on board or entering the fray.

“Digitising healthcare is trickier than other sectors,” says Kapoor, as it has multi-focal data, (where parameters could be different for people and even the same parameter could have different connotations), unlike the UPI (Unified Payments Interface) where data is relatively simpler and unique.

Risk mitigation

At a time of increased cyber-attacks on healthcare institutions, Kapoor said, an increased digital footprint will witness an increased crime.

Outlining measures to ensure data protection and privacy, he said, people would soon realise they have rights over their data, thanks to the Bill. In the past,  data lay across silos without consent and others benefited from it, he said. “Now people know if data is shared without consent there will be implications for the sharing party,” he added.

Besides, anyone empanelled with ABDM has to have a security test every year, he said, adding that hospitals, pharma companies, hospital management systems etc also need to invest in security systems and tools to protect and back-up data.

Inclusive & Unified

While the ABDM experience may appear to overwhelm, he said, the aim is for it not be an “elitist” solution. Being a fledgling player, it has the experiences of Aadhaar and UPI to learn from, so simple solutions are created that do not leave the elderly, semi-literate or anyone else behind, he added.

ABDM’s next layer is the Unified Health Interface (UHI), he said, similar to the ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) that brings  buyers and sellers together.

Recently, the Health Ministry showcased ABDM’’s “scan and share” service for faster OPD (out-patient department) registrations, and how it cut the waiting time for about five lakh hospital patients. In five months since its launch (October 2022), about 365 hospitals have adopted it.

Kapoor said more services will be added to the UHI, indicating that DRiefcase would offer them too. DRiefcase’s other avenues to earn revenues included doctor and hospital subscriptions, besides helping other service providers integrate into ABDM, he said.