Integration of Health Applications with ABDM

• 04 Aug 2022

For Prelims: The National Health Authority (NHA), Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), ABDM Sandbox, Sustainable Development Goals, Unique Health ID, ABHA mobile app

For Mains: Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and its Significance in achieving Universal Health Coverage in the Country

Why in News?

Recently, with successful integrations of 52 digital health applications, the National Health Authority (NHA) announced the expansion of the digital health ecosystem being established under its flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM),

• These integrations are achieved through ABDM Sandbox.
• In the last two months, additional 12 health service applications completed their integration across various milestones in the ABDM sandbox environment.
  • The tally now includes 20 government applications and 32 private sector applications.

Which New Apps have been Integrated?

• The 12 new applications added to the ABDM Partners ecosystem are – 
  • HMIS (Hospital Management Information System) for Central Government Hospital Scheme (CGHS)
  • Hospital Management System by NICE-HMS
  • Anmol Application of the National Health Mission by National Informatics Center (NIC),
  • eSanjeevani
  • UKTelemedicine Service for Uttarakhand Government by Dhanush Infotech Pvt Ltd.
  • Health Tech solutions like Equal app by Infinity Identity Technologies Pvt Ltd
  • IHX Claim Management Platform by IHX
  • Karkinos Application Suite by Karkinos Healthcare Private Limited, 
  • Meraadhikar app by Fingoole Technologies Pvt Ltd,
  • nPe Bills & Services app by NICT
  • Paperplane WhatsApp Clinic by Paperplane Communications Pvt Ltd
  • HISP-EMR by the Society for Health Information System Program (HISP India)

ABDM and Integration of Apps - What is the Significance?

• About ABDM:
  • ABDM is a national digital health eco-system that supports Universal Health Coverage in an efficient, accessible, inclusive, and affordable manner, through the provision of a wide range of information and infrastructure services.
  • It aims to develop the backbone necessary to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country. 
  • It will bridge the existing gap amongst different stakeholders of the Healthcare ecosystem through digital highways.
• Significance of the Integration:
  • As more existing health applications join the ecosystem, the scope for innovation increases, and the system evolves much faster. 
  • This integration signifies how the public and private sectors can come together and collaborate to strengthen a digital health ecosystem for the country.
  • This collaborative approach toward digitization of healthcare delivery will help India achieve its goal of healthcare for all in the most effective, efficient, and affordable manner.

What are the Key Points about ABDM?

• Objectives:
  • To establish state-of-the-art digital health systems, to manage the core digital health data, and the infrastructure required for its seamless exchange.
  • To establish registries at an appropriate level to create a single source of truth in respect of clinical establishments, healthcare professionals, health workers, drugs, and pharmacies.
  • To enforce the adoption of open standards by all national digital health stakeholders.
  • To create a system of personal health records, based on international standards, easily accessible to individuals and healthcare professionals and services providers, based on individual’s informed consent,
  • To promote the development of enterprise-class health application systems with a special focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for health.
• Building Blocks of ABDM: The Ayushman Bharat Mission is based on 4 main building blocks:
  • Health ID
    • Each individual user of the ABDM system will have to generate a unique health ID that will be verified and linked to their identification. 
    • The user’s medical information will be stored on this unique health ID.
  • Healthcare Professionals Registry
    • It is a complete database of healthcare professionals who are associated with the deployment of healthcare services across the country. 
    • By registering themselves on the registry, healthcare professionals can have easy and quick access to patient data and other benefits.
  • Health Facility Registry
    • It is an extensive database of all healthcare facilities across the nation. These include both private and public health care facilities like hospitals, diagnostic labs, small clinics, nursing homes, etc.
  • ABHA Mobile App
    • The ABHA mobile app is to be used by the patients to control and access their medical information, as well as share it with healthcare professionals. 
    • The app is supported by the secure PHR (Personal Health Record) system.

What is ABDM Sandbox?

• It’s a digital space for experimentation created for testing integration processes before the digital health product is made live for actual use.
• Any digital health service provider/ developer can register on the ABDM Sandbox by following a pre-defined process of integrating and validating their software systems with the ABDM Application Program Interface (APIs). 
• Currently, 919 public and private sector integrators have enrolled under ABDM Sandbox for integrating and validating their software solutions under the scheme.

What are the Other Recent Developments in Digitization of India's Healthcare Ecosystem?

• National Digital Health Mission (NDHM):
  • It is a complete digital health ecosystem. The digital platform will be launched with four key features — health ID, personal health records, Digi Doctor and health facility registry.
• Health Data Management Policy:
  • In December 2020, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare approved the Health Data Management Policy under NDHM to protect and manage personal data of patients using the digital services of the scheme.
  • The policy acts as a guidance document across the National Digital Health Ecosystem (NDHE).
  • The data collected across the NDHE will be stored at the central level, the state/UT level and at the health facility level.
• Other Initiatives:
  • Data mining, digital health record and digital health infrastructure.

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Mains

Q. Appropriate local community-level healthcare intervention is a prerequisite to achieve ‘Health for All’ in India. Explain. (2018)

Source: PIB