India's National Health Authority is reaching out to health IT players who would like to develop digital health solutions that will form part of the country's digital health ecosystem.

The agency, which implements the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), said health IT providers can file their Expression of Interest in developing the Unified Health Interface, an open, interoperable platform connecting various digital health solutions; the Health Claims Platform where healthcare providers can submit their e-claims; SaaS solutions; open-source solutions; and other digital health solutions.

According to the NHA, "interested parties shall provide these solutions as a service at no cost to the public and/or private entities".

WHY IT MATTERS

Based on the invitation, this approach to building India's digital health ecosystem will not only accelerate the development of digital health tools but also make them available to both the general populace and private organisations.

The ABDM has been conceptualised as a set of digital building blocks, each seen as a "digital public good".

The mission has four key building blocks, namely the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), Healthcare Professionals Registry, Health Facility Registry, and Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIE-CM). These blocks are designed to identify healthcare providers, professionals, and patients, as well as enable the exchange of health data with prior patient consent.

THE LARGER TREND

Launched in September last year, the ABDM seeks to develop the foundation of integrated digital health infrastructure in India. It will connect different stakeholders of the country's healthcare ecosystem through digital pathways. 

The government is currently working on an open platform connecting India's digital health ecosystem under ABDM, which will include digital registries of health providers and facilities, unique health identities, a consent framework, and universal access to health facilities. For this purpose, the government has set aside Rs 200 crore ($26.7 million) in funding.

As of late, over 800 organisations have integrated with ABDM registries and enabled health data exchange through the HIE-CM. Among them are the patient health record app DRiefcare and India's official contact tracing app Aarogya Setu.

ON THE RECORD

"The ABDM endeavours to give impetus to open and interoperable standards in the digital health ecosystem. Such an undertaking will not only expedite Universal Health Coverage goals in India but also have ripple effects on the global health ecosystem. However, such an ambition requires all hands on deck," said NHA CEO Dr Ram Sewak Sharma.