Digital health IDs soon to be accessible on Google Wallet in India

By next year, Indian citizens will have access to their Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) ID cards through Google Wallet. Google has collaborated with the National Health Authority to digitize healthcare services nationwide by establishing an interoperable system using universal health IDs for citizens.

In collaboration with Eka Care, an authorized issuer of these health IDs, Google will enable over 600 million Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) ID holders to access their health records and information via their smartphones. Google emphasizes the importance of data security, stating that users will be required to authenticate access through biometric authentication or traditional PIN and passcode.

To enhance the digital healthcare landscape in India, Google aims to improve access to health information by introducing tools like Health Knowledge Panels. These panels will cover over 800 topics and be available in English and Hindi. Google is also expanding its resources on YouTube to include other languages.

For healthcare professionals, Google offers an AI service through its Clinical Intelligence Engine, powered by its Vertex AI, to help summarize patients’ medical history and provide insights for informed decision-making. Google also utilizes AI capabilities to aid in disease detection through the Swaasa platform, particularly in the detection of tuberculosis.

The research team at Google is also working with the national authority to facilitate technical integration within the ABDM architecture by offering open-source tools. Google claims that the use of technology has reduced the integration time from six months to under two weeks.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the ABDM program has made significant progress in digitizing healthcare.

Over 670 million accounts have been created with unique digital health IDs, and approximately 420 million health records have been linked to these IDs, allowing for easy access to health data. A recent press report indicates that around 130,000 health facilities, including 17,000 private healthcare facilities, are ABDM-enabled.

The mission leverages digital public infrastructure (DPI) to ensure interoperability among various service providers in the healthcare ecosystem, such as hospitals, diagnostic centers, insurance companies, and pharmacies. The recorded health information within the system is encrypted for data privacy, the ministry says.

Earlier this year, the National Health Authority issued 30 million tokenized cards for outpatient department registrations through the ABHA-based scan and share service.

Article Topics

Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID  |  biometric authentication  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  digital wallets  |  Google Wallet  |  India  |  patient identification