Keeping in line the track record of the current government in taking cutting-edge initiatives to boost India’s digital transformation, the National Health Authority of India (NHA) is approaching the general public on recommendations and comments on the proposed Unified Health Interface (UHI) project – a project that envisions the creation of an open, interoperable platform and network to connect digital health solutions nationally. In consonance with the National Digital Health Mission, a flagship digital health scheme launched by the Government of India, NHA is releasing a working paper outlining the basic structure, scope, role and design of the project with the aim to encourage a collaborative exercise to engage with the public to improve the project and address any concerns or questions regarding it.

Presently, the market for digital health solutions in the country is highly fragmented, with several non-interoperable platforms providing health services in the country. The UHI project is conceived in the same vein as the UPI project, an open network whereby patients and healthcare providers can discover, book, pay and fulfill all the various steps of digital health solutions such as tele-consultancies. It will be powered by decentralized health protocols, with the aid of an open-community of developers much like ONDC and will be deployed on gateways launched by the National Health Authority of India. 

According to the NHA, technology providers that are currently providing or developing services to aid healthcare providers – both institutional and individual, and patients would be able to make use of the decentralized health protocols and become a member of the UHI network. This project is launched as one of the schemes of the National Digital Health Mission, which was itself launched in August 2021 across six union territories aiming to transform the practice of digital health services across the nation. The NHA is open to suggestions, remarks, comments and recommendations up till August 23, 2022.

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