Discuss how Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission exemplifies India's Digital Public Infrastructure model. What are the associated data privacy concerns?

Q. Discuss how Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission exemplifies India's Digital Public Infrastructure model. What are the associated data privacy concerns? (15 marks, 250 words)

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) refers to interoperable, standards-based digital systems—like Aadhaar and UPI—that enable population-scale service delivery. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), implementing India's health-sector DPI, has scaled to over 93 crore ABHA accounts and 104 crore linked health records, forming one of the world's largest digital health ecosystems [1].

How ABDM exemplifies the DPI model - Unique digital identity: The 14-digit ABHA ID lets citizens link and carry longitudinal health records, mirroring Aadhaar's identity layer [2]. - Interoperable registries: Health Facility Registry (HFR), Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and the Unified Health Interface create shared public rails [1]. - Consent-based exchange: The Health Information Exchange & Consent Manager enables minimal, permissioned data flow—the DPI hallmark [1]. - Open, federated participation: NHA sets standards centrally while states and private providers onboard voluntarily via incentives, echoing UPI's ecosystem approach [1]. - Tangible inclusion: "Scan and Share" cut OPD waiting from ~1 hour to minutes [1].

Data privacy concerns - Sensitive data at scale: Aggregating crore-level health records heightens breach impact and surveillance risk. - Consent quality: Genuine informed consent is difficult amid low digital literacy. - Interoperability exposure: Wider data-sharing enlarges the attack surface across linked entities. - Legal safeguards: Robust operationalisation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 remains essential.

ABDM demonstrates how DPI can democratise healthcare access and advance Universal Health Coverage (SDG-3). Its promise rests on embedding privacy-by-design and strong data-protection enforcement, ensuring trust keeps pace with scale.

(~250 words)

Sources: 1. ABDM: India's Digital Health Backbone (PIB Backgrounder, 06 Jul 2026) — scale (93 cr ABHA, 104 cr records), registries/HIE-CM, Scan and Share, federated incentives 2. Explainer on Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA), PIB — 14-digit ABHA digital health identity