Digital Healthcare: A Few Perspectives

| 11 June 2021

Framing the idea of ‘public good’: In an Indian Express piece titled ‘What we must consider before digitising India’s healthcare’, IIT Delhi professors Subhashis Banerjee and Ambuj Sagar make a case for taking a holistic view of health data infrastructure. They call for a careful scrutiny of the framing of ‘public good,’ an examination of its potential tensions with individual rights, and a clear articulation of the idea of digital identity.

Creating a supportive policy environment: A Hindustan Times op-ed by Sandhya Venkateswaran, titled How Covid can transform healthcare maps innovations that were leveraged during India’s fight against the pandemic, while also highlighting the need for scalability and convergence. The author makes a case for a policy environment that encourages uptake of innovations by the government, and proactively supports innovators.

‘Non-tech’ layers in the digital health ecosystem: In a Financial Express article by Varad Pande and Kriti Mittal, titled ‘Reimagining India’s Healthcare‘, the authors discuss the NDHM architecture, making a case for two critical, ‘non-tech’ considerations in realising its potential: protecting and empowering consumers and building a community of innovators. Underscoring the importance of informed consent and privacy by design, the piece makes several suggestions towards helping NDHM deliver on its promise.