Govt Releases Draft Health Data Management Policy

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The ambitious NDHM programme was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month during his Independence Day speech.

The National Health Authority (NHA) has released the Draft Health Data Management Policy of the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) in the public domain.
The draft has been released on the website of the NDHM and will be available for public comments and feedback till September 3.
NHA is the apex agency of the Government of India responsible for the design, roll- out, implementation and management of-
Ayushman Bharat and the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) across the country.

main objectives of the draft policy

To provide adequate guidance and to set out a framework for the secure processing of personal and sensitive personal data of individuals
Who are a part of the national digital health ecosystem.
Indu Bhushan, the Chief Executive Officer of NHA said,
“The Draft Health Data Management Policy is the maiden step in realizing NDHM’s guiding principle of ‘Security and Privacy by Design‘ for the protection of individuals’ data privacy.”
Important points
As per the draft proposal, everyone enrolled for the mission will get a Health ID free of cost and will have complete control over his or her data.
Any personal data can be collected only on consent from individuals and they will be allowed to revoke their consent to restrict any sharing of personal data.

The data will only be accessible to medical professionals or institutions that also have IDs under the NDHM,
Provided the person gives consent for his or her data to be viewed.

Data collected across the National Digital Health Ecosystem (NDHE) will be stored in 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.

The federated design of the NDHE ensures personal data of the data principals
Will be held at the point of care or at the closest possible location where it was created,
With no centralised repository.

The draft policy aims to “set out a framework for the secure processing of personal and sensitive personal data of individuals” who form the digital health ecosystem.
It also outlines a definition for “sensitive personal information” that can be collected from citizens under the project.
According to the policy, “sensitive personal information” means “such personal data, which may reveal or be related to, but shall not be limited to…
Financial information such as bank account or credit card or debit card or other payment instrument details; physical, physiological and mental health data; sex life; sexual orientation; medical records and history; biometric data; and genetic data”.
Other information that can be sought under the category are- “transgender status, intersex status; caste or tribe; and religious or political belief or affiliation”,
As well as data relating to various health conditions and treatments, such as medical and health records.

First, “the NDHM is a voluntary scheme — HealthID is entirely voluntary for citizens,” he states. Citizens can choose to generate their Health Account or ID using their Aadhaar card or digitally authenticable mobile number.
The use of Aadhaar, therefore, is not mandatory.
Second, providing access to and sharing of personal health records is a prerogative of the HealthID holder.
The information can be shared for a period ranging from one hour to unlimited duration.
Third, NDHM has been built within a universe of fundamental rights and pieces of legislation such as the Aadhaar Act and the IT Act 2008 as well as the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019.
Fourth, the government is building specialised systems and offline modules that will be designed to reach out to the ‘unconnected’, marginalised, digitally illiterate, remote, hilly, and tribal populations.
Finally, the design of NDHM has been built on the principle of partnership with all key stakeholders —
Doctors, health service providers, technology solution providers and above all citizens.