Patient data to become portable between govt hospitals, help health schemes

India’s health system could get another shot at reforms in the pre-election season. To complement the National Health Policy 2017, the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) is expected to soon come out with measures to make patient care data available to doctors at government hospitals across India.

The move to IT-based systems will create a National Health Stack or scheme that will mimic health care facilities available for central government employees under the Central Government Health Scheme.

It is also expected to supplement the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat insurance project that was launched in September 2018. “Essentially, it would