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

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.