The Indian government has announced two new projects to promote digital health for its citizens as it continues to battle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Delivering her speech for the Union Budget 2022-2023, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government will be launching an open platform connecting the country's digital health ecosystem under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission (ABDM). The platform will include digital registries of health providers and facilities, unique health identities, a consent framework, and universal access to health facilities.

Sitharaman also disclosed that a national tele-mental health programme will be rolled out to provide better access to quality mental health counselling and care services. It will consist of a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of excellence with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences serving at its core and the International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore providing technology support.

WHY IT MATTERS

The ABDM seeks to develop the foundations of an integrated digital health infrastructure of India, connecting the different stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem through digital pathways. Its building blocks are digital systems consisting of digital health IDs, registries of health professionals and facilities, and patient health records. Currently, there are separate web portals for each system.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya shared on his social media account some bits about the national tele-mental health programme. He said the programme, which also aligns with the ABDM, aims to transform mental healthcare access by:

• Providing counselling and care using standard, evidence-based, culturally appropriate tools;

• Enhancing access to quality, standardised, and free 24x7 mental health services to people; and

• Helping to connect with various mental health care services, the health and wellness centres under ABDM as well as with the e-Sanjeevani system. 

An estimated 7% of the Indian population deals with mental health issues with at least one in four families likely having one member with a mental disorder, according to the World Health Organization. For every 100,000 people, there are only 0.3 psychiatrists, 0.12 nurses, 0.07 psychologists and 0.07 social workers providing mental health care in the country, way lower than the WHO standard of three per the same population.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

This year, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare saw its budget increase by around 16% to Rs 86,200 crore ($11.5 billion) from last year's estimate of Rs 73,900 ($9.8 billion). 

To support the launch of a new digital health platform, India has raised its allocation for the National Digital Health Mission under ABDM to Rs 200 crore ($26.7 million) from Rs 30 crore ($4 million). As for the mental health sector, a budget of Rs 40 crore ($5.3 million) has been set aside for the National Mental Health Programme under Tertiary Care Programmes.