Ayushman health ID card: A need for fine tuning! – Times of India

Ayushman Cards issued by the government for the wellbeing of its citizens in the lower strata of society is a game changer in the health care system of the country. The eligible categories are schedule casts, schedule tribe households, beggars, hawkers and families with no male members and no individuals between age of 16 to 59 years. The health insurance scheme covers over 50 crores citizens in India and has several success stories to it. It is a smart digital governance move by the government but at the same time, it also seems to have few lacunas in it. This program known as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna is to make secondary and territory healthcare completely cash less for the underprivileged section of the society. The E- card can be used to avail services and facilities in empanelled hospitals (public and private) anywhere in the country. The coverage includes pre and post hospitalization expenses, operational expenses, etc up to Rs.5,00,000 p.a. per family per year.

Experts from the industry however hold a different opinion. Mumbai-based neurosurgeon Dr. Aadil S Chagla, said, Digital health ID Card is simply a ticket to access into health system and does not solve the real health issues. For instance, sex determination of an unborn child is not allowed to be disclosed in ultrasound clinics, in addition there still persists some stigma concerning certain health issues due to religious or family traditions. In such cases it becomes difficult for the patients more than the doctors. It is a lucrative opportunity to attack the privacy of individuals whose data would otherwise have been restricted to a few institutions in the normal course but now their personal data is available nationally as per the data management policy draft. Also, other sensitive information like bank account details and payment details will be stored in the database, making it easily prone to cyber-attack. Medically if we see its good for doctors but its a burden for laymen. Sharing sensitive information is not appreciated in many cases. There is an agenda behind every move. Its the IT that benefits from Aadhar Card linkage. Health sector needs to be attended at grass root level. Ex: certain patients come frustrated to me like the autoriksha driver having spine traumas due to poor road conditions who cannot afford to take a break for medical treatments as their livelihood gets affected? He is prone to overdose of medicinal intake which further deteriorates his condition like liver and kidney disorders. The government must make addition to the scheme to benefit such people so that their livelihood is not affected and they get proper treatment.

Talashi a Village in Radhanagari in Kolhapur District of Maharashtra, has no medical facilities for over 50kms. There are many such places where up to 100kms or more there is no medical facility. In case of chest pains, heart attacks, brain strokes, etc by the time the ambulance reaches, the patient may lose his life. Is it fair to get the digital world upgraded without making the foundations strong? The government should focus on addressing such pain points before focusing on digitalization. Todays buzz words are information and technology. Having said that, IT changes languages while upgrading but when it comes to health the basic foundations need to be strengthened.

Plastic and cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Suraj Singh Chauhan, says in times of fiscal crisis and shifting demographics, collaboration of public private hospitals will enable improved health infrastructure and would be a rewarding venture. However, patient privacy concerns need to be addressed. He suggests, using patients fingerprint logins for easy access to the Ayushman scheme as majority of the users are illiterate or semi-literate and at the time of need may not be even carrying their id card with them. This will enable for providing immediate medical attention especially in accident or emergency cases with access to the medical history of the patient. He said strong safeguards should be built in regarding the medical history and other data of the patient to be maintained independent of each other, to avoid misuse.

He also added The bureaucratic barriers to set up new hospitals must be reduced. At present, corporates are investing in establishing health care facilities, which is why they are running on business models with no freedom to doctors to play a significant role in administration. Doctors are blamed for performance when any crisis arises ignoring the fact that they are not well equipped to take any significant decision in administration or management, despite having the real knowledge as to what is required and what should be prioritised when it comes to real health care.

As per government, when approx. 86% of rural houses do not have access to any health care insurance, this health id card is a boon for them. Approx. 20% of rural families access health care by taking loans. This health id card will ease the burden on them and avoid debt traps.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Ayushman health ID card: A need for fine tuning! - Times of India