About DigiLocker 

• DigiLocker is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY). Linked to both Aadhaar card and cellphone numbers, DigiLocker eliminates the use of physical documents as part of the government’s Digital India drive, since all data is stored in the cloud.
• One can upload scanned copies of their documents (PDF, JPEG or PNG format) and access it anywhere they want. One can also e-sign these uploaded documents, which works like self-attestation of physical documents.
• On the other hand, organisations like the CBSE, the Registrar Office or the Income Tax Department can also push electronic copies of documents and certificates directly into Citizens’ e-lockers.
• The issued documents in DigiLocker system are deemed to be at par with original physical documents as per the Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries providing Digital Locker facilities) Rules, 2016.
• DigiLocker is available both on websites and mobile apps.

Benefits of DigiLocker

• Benefits to Citizens
  • Important Documents Anytime, Anywhere.
  • Authentic Documents, Legally at Par with Originals.
  • Digital Document Exchange with the consent of the citizen.
  • Faster service Delivery of Government Benefits, Employment, Financial Inclusion, Education, Health.
• Benefits to Agencies
  • Reduced Administrative Overhead: Aimed at the concept of paperless governance. It reduces the administrative overhead by minimizing the use of paper and curtailing the verification process.
  • Digital Transformation: Provides trusted issued documents. Issued Documents available via DigiLocker are fetched in real-time directly from the issuing agency.
  • Secure Document Gateway: Acts as a secure document exchange platform like payment gateway between trusted issuer and trusted Requester/Verifier with the consent of the citizen.
  • Real Time Verification: Provides a verification module enabling government agencies to verify data directly from issuers after obtaining user consent.

Why in News?

• The Government’s authentic documents exchange platform DigiLocker can now be used as a health locker for storing and accessing health records, such as vaccination records, doctor prescriptions, lab reports and hospital discharge summaries.
• This has been made possible after the DigiLocker completed its second level of integration with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, ABDM.  
• Earlier, it had completed level 1 integration with ABDM, wherein the platform had added Ayushman Bharat Health Account, ABHA, creation facility for its 13 crore users.
• The latest integration will now enable users to utilize DigiLocker as a Personal Health Records App.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission 

• The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) was launched by the Government in 2020 for promoting digitization of healthcare and creating an open interoperable digital health ecosystem for the country. 
• It aims to do so by prescribing common health data standards, developing core modules such as registry of health facilities, healthcare professionals etc required for interoperability; so that various digital health systems can interact with each other by enabling seamless sharing of data across various healthcare providers who may be using different digital health systems.
• ABDM will create certain core building blocks or modules such as registries of individuals/citizens/patients (Health ID registry), registry of healthcare professionals (Healthcare Professionals Registry) and registry of healthcare facilities including hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, etc (Health Facility Registry). In these registries, each of these entities is provided with a unique identifier across the ecosystem. 
• Any individual can enroll in ABDM to generate a Health ID (https://healthid.ndhm.gov.in/). Healthcare professionals recognized by Indian authorities can register on the Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) (https://hpr.ndhm.gov.in/en). Health facilities can register themselves on the Health Facility Registry (HFR) (https://facility.ndhm.gov.in/).

Significance

• The implementation of ABDM is expected to significantly improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of health service delivery overall. Patients will be able to securely store and access their medical records and share them with health care providers to ensure appropriate treatment and follow-up. 
• They will also have access to more accurate information on health facilities and service providers. Further, they will have the option to access health services remotely through tele-consultation and e-pharmacy. 
• ABDM will empower individuals with accurate information to enable informed decision making and increase accountability of healthcare providers.
• Similarly, health care professionals across disciplines will have better access to a patient’s medical history (with the necessary informed consent) for prescribing more appropriate and effective health interventions. 

Implementing agency

• • The National Health Authority (NHA), the apex agency responsible for the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), has been given the mandate by the government to design, build, roll-out and implement the ABDM in the country. 

• NHA is an attached office of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with full functional autonomy.

reference:

https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=DigiLocker-users-can-now-digitally-store-health-records%2c-link-them-with-Ayushman-Bharat-Health-Account&id=450661