DNA Independence Day Special: Digital Health Card - the biggest revolution in India today

Under the National Digital Health Mission, every citizen will get a unique health ID that will ease access to medical services.

Photo: Twitter/@PIB_India

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (August 15) unfurled the tricolour at the historic Red Fort in the national capital for the seventh time on the occasion of India's 74th Independence Day. With this, PM Modi became the first non-Congress Prime Minister to have hoisted the national flag for the most number of times. 

He's now behind India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (17 times) and his daughter, Indira Gandhi (16 times) and surpassed his mentor and senior BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. If PM Modi gets re-elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he will surpass Congress leader and former PM Manmohan Singh who hoisted the Tricolor 10 times during his tenure.

A day earlier, PM Modi who is currently in his second tenure, achieved the feat of becoming the longest-serving non-Congress leader to have occupied the Prime Minister's Office as he completed 2,268 days, surpassing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Coming back to the Independence Day celebrations, PM Modi in his 86-minute address to the nation talked about several key initiatives and welfare schemes launched by his government. 

During his lengthy speech, the PM talked about the peaceful resolution of the centuries-old Ram Temple issue from the ramparts of Red Fort, farmers' welfare and sensitive issues like women's menstruation and sanitary pads. Inarguably, the PM earned praise from several quarters for talking about sanitary pads and breaking the taboo.

PM Modi's speech also focussed on "Make in India" coupled with his "Make for World" mantra that further underscores the importance of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Most importantly, he announced the National Digital Health Mission under which every Indian citizen will get a unique health ID that will ease access to medical services.

Today's special segment of popular Zee News show DNA, which is hosted by the channel's Editor-in-chief Sudhir Choudhary, focused on PM's announcement of National Digital Health Mission and called it the biggest revolution in India.  

In pics | PM Narendra Modi unfurls tricolor at Red Fort on the occasion of 74th Independence Day

In his speech, the Prime Minister said the health ID will store every individual's medical records and the mission will herald a new revolution in the health sector.

He said, "Every Indian will be given a health ID. National Digital Health Mission will bring a new revolution in India's health sector. All your tests, every disease, which doctor gave you which medicine, when, what were your reports, all this information will be contained in this one health ID."

Here are the four main benefits of the National Digital Health Mission:

1. Digital Health card: Every individual will get a health card through which a person can pay the hospital fees. This will help an individual to get rid of long queues in hospitals.

2. Personal health record: The personal record will keep all your details like - Age, blood group, allergies, and previous surgeries. It will also keep a record of an individual's health history - when, how and where he was treated for a particular disease. 

3. Digi doctor: The National Digital Health Mission will also aim at providing a platform to doctors across the country to give online consultation to their patients. 

4. Health facility registry: The details regarding hospitals, clinics and health-related queries will be available on one particular platform. 

As per initial reports, every hospital, clinic and doctor across the country will be connected through a central server, and the server will also be used to store the medical data.

The unique ID provided to every individual under this Digital Health Mission will let them update their personal record.

It will free patients from carrying their previous medical records for further check-ups.

This health mission will mainly benefit the people living in rural areas who will be able to get guidance from a doctor through an online platform.

The main motto behind this health mission is to prepare a nation-wide digital health mission and like PM Modi said - "National Digital Health Mission will bring a new revolution in India's health sector"

He also talked about women's empowerment and stated, "We have worked for women empowerment. Navy and Air Force are taking women in combat. Women are now leaders, and we abolished triple talaq, got sanitary pads to women for just 1 rupee."

During his address, Prime Minister said that the Government is taking care of the health and hygiene of poor daughters and sisters and has made them available health-related products at an affordable price. He said working in this direction more than 5 crore Sanitary Napkins have been distributed to underprivileged women from 6000 Jan Aushdhi Kendras at the minimum price of Rs 1 each.

"My dear countrymen, our experience says that whenever there is an opportunity for women power in India, they have brought laurels to the country, strengthened the country. Today, women are not only working in underground coal mines but also flying fighter planes, touching new heights in the sky," PM Modi opined. He stated that of the 40 crore Jan Dhan accounts opened around the country, over 22 crore accounts belong to women. 

"At the time of Corona, in April-May-June, about thirty thousand crores of rupees have been directly transferred to the accounts of women in these three months," said PM Modi.

The PM further said, "Our Policies, Our Process, Our Products, Everything should be Best, Must be best. Only then will we be able to realize the vision of Ek Bharat-Shresth Bharat."

PM Modi said that the middle class will be the biggest beneficiary of the 'Ease of Living'.

"From cheap internet to economical air tickets, highways to i-ways, and from affordable housing to tax reduction - all these measures will empower the middle-class of the country," said PM Modi.