National Digital Health Mission

The Modi Government is on the way to empower the country digitally. After finance, the government initiated the digitalised health sector. In the course of entrusting the economy with the perks of digitalisation, Prime minister, Shri Narendra Modi, introduced another digital tool, this National Digital Health Mission project on 15th August, 2020. It was officially launched on 21st September 2021. The vision of NDHM is to support the medical structure of the economy digitally. This is a historical effort to ensure better and enhanced medical support to the nation. 

What is NDHM or National Digital Health Mission?

The National Digital Health Mission was introduced to bridge the gap faced by different stakeholders in the country’s medical or healthcare sector. This mission is a support to the digital healthcare framework. It is an agency that envisions boosting and expanding the digital medical and healthcare structure of the country. The mission aims at linking the patients as well as various medical practitioners digitally. Moreover, some of the vital tools used in the implementation of the National Digital Health Mission are digital goods for the public ex. software, AI models, etc. The program covers global health efficiently, timely, and affordable and is now famous as Pradhan Mantri Digital Health Mission. 

The Objectives of NDHM

1. Improving Healthcare Digitally: The foremost objective of this national health mission is to improvise the present digital infrastructure of healthcare. The aim is to manage effective data of healthcare digitally to enhance the medical service exchange. 
2. Electronic Health Records: The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) plans to secure crucial health records matching the international standards and grades. The objective includes establishing easily exchangeable electronic health records. These records can be easily accessed by the practitioners as well as the patients to decide upon the required screenings, checkups, or treatments. In short, the mission is to solve the struggle of searching for the right doctor, gathering up medical records, fees, etc. in just a few taps, digitally. 
3. Digital Health Cards: The National Digital Health Mission aims to introduce digital cards (health cards) among the country’s citizens. The card includes reliable data on pharmacies, drugs, practitioners, medical clinics, healthcare experts and workers, etc. 
4. Easy standards for stakeholders: The main objective is to create ease in the healthcare sector. The mission is an open platform for all stakeholders. The main objective remains the standards that can be easy to adopt. Stakeholders are free to introduce their medical products that strengthen the overall soul of the Pradhan Mantri NDHM. 

Components of National Digital Health Mission

The NDHM’s six-building components can be listed as follows: 

• Digital Health ID. 
• Personal Health Records. 
• E-pharma.
• Telemedicine.
• Digital registry. 
• Online doctors and health professionals.

Key Features of National Digital Health Mission

• The National Health Authority is the national health agency responsible for designing the whole layout, creating it effectively, rolling it out, and finally implementing it as per the plan in India. 
• The Indian Government is mandated to own, function, and maintain the digital health ID, registry, and the Digi-doctor of the national health mission. 
• The mission offers a digital health ID to every Indian. The details like personal data, diagnosis, medical reports, prescriptions, summaries, and treatments are there in the ID. 
• To exchange the data with various practitioners the patients just have to initiate the one-time access and all the required details will be shared.
• To register, the citizens need to use their Unique Health IDs provided under the mission. Now they can see the listed facilities under the mission. The website or application will contain the required details of the health practitioners.
• The medical details of the practitioners, doctors, stakeholders, and every citizen with the Health ID will be held under the mission for the record. The process is purely voluntary. 
• Health Data Managers will be responsible for exchanging the data between the patients and the practitioners with mutual consent. 
• The Digi-doctors will serve the nation with digital healthcare support through the present interfaces. 

The Documents Required in  National Digital Health Mission

1. For the personal details, Adhaar Card.
2. For medical details, Health Reports.
3. For residential details, Residential Proof.

Advantages of the National Digital Health Mission

 The National Digital Health Mission has simplified a lot of complexities present in the medical sector. Once in our lives, we all might have faced challenges in fetching the right diagnosis, availability of the required doctor or medical expert, and much more. The National Digital Health Mission is a one-stop healthcare solution, just like supermarkets or malls. Besides the availability of doctors, this National Health Mission promises the following advantages to the healthcare sector as well as the citizens:

1. Ease: The mission overcomes the challenges faced by the citizens in daily life. NDHM has come up with a digitally supported healthcare system where patients can store and exchange health records. There is no need to go for a re-test for the same treatment every time, visiting the different doctors. The practitioners can easily fetch the patient’s health record with the help of one-time access consented by the patient. Not only this but the mission involves various other facilities like E- Pharmacies, Digi-doctors, online health practitioners, etc. This will not only be helpful in saving time but will be proved as a big money saver. In short, the national health mission is here to ensure ease in every way possible. 
2. Digital Advancements: Besides individuals, the national health mission also empowers the Indian economy by ensuring advancement in one of the biggest sectors-healthcare. With every aspect of digitalisation, the medical sector is now in the phase of modernisation as per the universal standards. 
3. Benefits to Stakeholders: The mission is a direct benefit to the stakeholders, who are free to enter the mission with these suggested medical vision and products. The major aim of the mission is to strengthen the healthcare sector while empowering the economy to the best. 
4. Safety: As the data of all the practitioners as well as the patients is legally recorded, thus, ensures safety for all. 

Conclusion

The NHDM or National Digital Health Mission is one of the steps to bring our Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India one step forward. The mission is an integration of providers and users of the medical or healthcare facilities through a digital interface. The aim is to generate the maximum health records while keeping them reliable and confidential. Adding to it, this national health mission is a way to support the following aspects of universal health grades: Efficiency, Inclusiveness, Accessibility, Safety, Timely, and Affordability.