IIITH, along with the Telangana State Research Collaboration network organized a full day consultation workshop on Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission 2.0 Southern Region Consultation Meeting for the National Health Authority on 29 August. The Theme for the consultation workshop was Strengthening Data Standards and Interoperability for Public and Private Healthcare: Tackling Adoption Barriers and Enabling India’s AI Health Future. Thought leaders and researchers from Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH), IIIT Hyderabad, ISB, BITS-Pilani Hyderabad, IIT Hyderabad, NIT Warangal & NALSAR are part of the Telangana Research Collaboration network.
The workshop started off with a presentation by Mr. Vikram Pagaria, Director of NHA on background, conception, technology, adoption, initiatives and accomplishments of ABDM 1.0 and goals for ABDM 2.0. Prof. Sandeep Shukla, Director of IIIT Hyderabad, addressed the gathering and emphasized the resolve of IIIT Hyderabad to be at the forefront of digital innovation in Healthcare and listed the institute’s efforts & work relating to the space. The panelists included members from National Health Authority (NHA), State Government, Research Institutions, Private Healthcare Providers, Public Health Institutions, NGOs, Medical colleges & Health tech companies.
Participants deliberated on use cases enabled by ABDM and how they can empower the citizen and enhance care. Areas covered included inpatient care settings, emergency care & home based care. Researchers emphasized the need for India specific open datasets and pondered how ABDM could enable creation of such datasets for AI research on healthcare with appropriate safeguards. The technology and infrastructure demands involved in the successful roll out of ABDM services were also discussed.
The panel also discussed data and interoperability standards as well as current efforts towards enhancing awareness and deliberated on the role that academic institutions could play in furthering these. The current challenges and related incentives that could enhance the adoption of ABDM for it to realize full value – across the value chain – were discussed. The need for showcasing value by releasing whitepapers in public and private settings by engaging with Academic institutions was suggested. The need for long term and sustainable measures, beyond incentives for initial adoption, was suggested.