New Delhi: The government has proposed a framework and a set of minimum standards for data privacy protection to be followed in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations to safeguard confidential health data collected from people under the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM).
The NDHM was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 74th Independence Day.
The National Health Authority (NHA) has been mandated to design and roll out NDHM in the country. NHA has released the draft ‘Health Data Management Policy’ in the public domain.
The document has been put up on the official website of National Digital Health Mission seeking comments and feedback from the public till September 3.
The draft policy mainly seeks to set out a framework for “secure processing of personal and sensitive personal data of individuals” who are a part of the national digital health ecosystem.
Data collected across the National Digital Health Ecosystem (NDHE) will be stored at the central level, the state or Union Territory level and at the health facility level, by adopting the principle of minimality at each point, according to the document.
The federated structure necessitates the development of a framework that can be utilized throughout the NDHE to safeguard the privacy of confidential health data that has been collected from individuals in India.
The provisions of this policy shall apply to the entities involved in the NDHM and those who are a part of the NDHE that includes all entities and individuals who have been issued an ID under this policy, healthcare professionals, and governing bodies of the health ministry, the NHA, relevant professional bodies, and regulators.
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.
The vision of the mission is to create a national digital health ecosystem that enables timely and efficient access to inclusive, affordable, and safe healthcare for all citizens.
The National Health Authority said the NDHM will significantly improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of health services in India.