Co-WIN being transformed into UWIN for national immunisation programme: Health Secretary

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) The Co-WIN portal, which helped India fight the Covid-19 pandemic, is being transformed into UWIN for the National Immunisation Programme which will aid in linking and providing immunisation records of 30 million newborns and mothers every year, followed by Anganwadi and school health records, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra said on Wednesday.Speaking on the sidelines of the Plenary Session of the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, Chandra, Head of the Indian delegation, outlined India’s advancements in digital health. India hosted a side event on digital health at the Plenary Session, which saw participation by the Quad countries (Australia, Japan and the US), to emphasise the potential of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for “addressing social determinants of health”. The side event was attended by delegates from over 100 countries, highlighting collaborative efforts in advancing digital public infrastructure globally. The Union Health Secretary also highlighted India’s effort under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). With over 618 million Unique Health IDs (ABHA IDs) generated, 268,000 health facilities registered, and 350,000 healthcare professionals enlisted, ABDM exemplifies India’s commitment to digital healthcare, he said. As part of ABDM, the government is launching the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX) to transform the insurance payments ecosystem leveraging the public-private partnership built on top of the digital public infrastructure. “It will usher in the era of real-time settlements with auto adjudication of claims,” said Chandra. Ambassador Arindam Bagchi, Permanent Representative of India at Geneva, highlighted the country’s commitment to leveraging digital technology to enhance healthcare accessibility and efficiency. At the event, Ambassador Bathsheba N. Crocker, Permanent Representative of the US; Ambassador Atsuyuki Oike, Permanent Representative of Japan, and Blair Exell, Deputy Secretary, Health Strategy, First Nations and Sport, Department of Health, Australia also shared their experiences and contributions of their respective countries to digital health. Professor Alain Labrique, Director, Digital Health & Innovation, WHO, lauded the giant leap taken by India in implementing DPI and demonstrating its ability to facilitate healthcare delivery at scale. –IANS na/vd