New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) The National Health Authority (NHA) has released a consultation paper on the proposed Health Data Retention Policy.

The paper provides a detailed discussion on the need for the policy, its scope, key elements under it, and the proposed approach for its governance structure under the ambit of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), launched across the country on September 27, an NHA statement said.

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It also focuses on how a health data retention policy for ABDM stakeholders will help the healthcare ecosystem.

The Health Data Management Policy, released on December 14, 2020 by the NHA, provided that a health data retention policy may be notified for data fiduciaries to comply with the collection, use, and storage of personal data, the statement said.

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The proposed guideline or policy has been envisioned to minimise risks associated with personal health data and to maximise benefits from the usage of this data by ensuring that data retention guidelines are in sync with all applicable legal and regulatory compliances.

The NHA will ensure an inclusive engagement with stakeholders and also ensure that all diverse viewpoints are incorporated, it said.

Giving his views on the consultation paper, R S Sharma, CEO, National Health Authority, said, "We are developing the National Digital Health Ecosystem in a consultative manner. Since the premise of the ABDM is based on federated architecture, it becomes paramount that there are specific guidelines on data retention so that health data can be stored and shared securely among different ecosystem partners, post consent of the patient."

Through this consultation paper, the NHA is providing interested stakeholders with information that may be useful to understand the considerations for the proposed policy for India, and its related implications, and seek their suggestions/inputs on health data retention under the ABDM, the statement said.

The purpose of formulation and implementation of a health data retention guideline or policy for India is to ensure uniformity in a manner, which ensures that every healthcare facility implements record retention and compliance with all applicable regulations, guidelines and laws in India.

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