What The FAQ: What is the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, announced by PM Modi, all about?

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission which is supposed to be the pilot project under the long-awaited National Digital Health Mission. It was on August 15, 2020, during his Independence Day speech at the Red Fort, that PM Modi had first announced this mission. Here's all you need to know about it and what it hopes to achieve.

What are the key takeaways?
As part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, every Indian will be given a unique health ID that will contain all their medical history and records. According to the Prime Minister, this data will be digitally secured and can be accessed with the consent of the citizens.

How will this work?
Every health ID given out will be linked to a health account. All personal medical records can be linked to this account and can be viewed easily with the help of a mobile application. According to the PMO, it will be much like the United Payments Interface (UPI) and will improve the health ecosystem by enabling information exchange.

What about the healthcare workers?
Besides the general public, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is also set to launch a repository of healthcare workers across all medicinal systems. The Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and Healthcare Facilities Registries (HFR) have also been launched for this purpose.

Where will it be launched first?
The mission is being piloted in six Union Territories before it can be launched nationwide. According to the statement issued by the Government of India, the mission will not only ease access to medical records and facilitate faster treatment, but also ensure that doctors and other healthcare workers have ease of taking care of their patients.