20 crore digital health accounts opened, says Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 5

As many as 20 crore Indian citizens, about 15 per cent of the country’s population, have opened digital health accounts under the Ayushman Digital Health Mission.

Protected by OTP

• Digital health accounts will enable everyone to have their health record in digital form
• The accounts will be OTP-protected and health data privacy will be maintained
• Such accounts are being opened under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday, while replying to a debate on the private members’ bill “Right to Health” Bill 2022 moved by RJD’s Manoj Jha, said digital health mission was a futuristic idea and India was moving fast towards it. “Nearly 20 crore accounts have been opened under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which will enable everyone to have digital health accounts and end the era of medical files. Digital accounts will be OTP-protected and health data privacy will be maintained,” the minister said, urging MPs to open digital accounts.

The minister, while detailing government programmes, including Ayushman Bharat, which provides for health and wellness centres and cashless and free annual hospitalisation cover of Rs 5 lakh to poor and vulnerable families, urged Jha to withdraw the Bill. Jha followed suit. The minister said of the promised 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres, 1.22 lakh had already been set up. The minister referred to a satisfactory experience he had while recently visiting a wellness centre in Jhajjar where, he said, the attending doctor, in virtual mode, sought the opinion of a specialist doctor in PGI-Chandigarh to treat a poor patient.

“The fact that a specialist doctor from PGI saw a poor patient at a Jhajjar wellness centre through telemedicine was extremely satisfying to me as I sat watching the process from a distance,” Mandaviya said. “The WHO recommends 1 doctor for every 1,000 people, we have 1 for 800 people,” he added.

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