The Unique Identification number will help in addressing the loopholes in the system, including the mobile health segment, besides adding value to the existing mechanism, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Sachin Pilot said.
Speaking at a session in the India Economic Summit on 'Shaping India's Mobile Health Ecosystem', Pilot said the government is open to discussions with state governments as well as private people to improve the mobile health system across the country.
"India in the coming years will able to provide the best possible healthcare at the cheapest possible price. This calls for coordinated engagement of the government and private sector in this price sensitive market," according to Pilot.
The government plans to issue UID numbers to 600 million people by 2014. The project involves an expenditure of about Rs 3,023 crore (Rs 30.23 billion), which includes project components for the issue of UID numbers by March 2011, and recurring establishment costs for the entire project phase of five years ending March 2014.
"The UID will help in targeting leakages in the system, such as subsidy, the public distribution system (PDS) and kerosene, and make sure that the facility reaches the end consumer," Pilot said.
"India is a price-sensitive market. Currently, 95 per cent of telecom revenue comes from voice services, which is rapidly moving towards data services. We will be able to provide the best possible healthcare services at the cheapest price. This calls for coordinated engagement of the government and the private sector," he said.
Apollo Hospitals Operations Executive Director Sangita Reddy also said the UID could be beneficial in the mobile health system, as through it, the medical history of a patient could be maintained in a single card, which would help in a quick diagnosis of problems.
She also suggested improved efficiency of transactions and cost in healthcare service delivery. She added that the first stage of mobile health services could be provided at a nominal cost such as a dollar, which will enable maximum reach across the country.
The global mobile health technology market is expected at a growth rate of 25 per cent annually to $4.6 billion by 2014 from currently $1.5 billion, according to research undertaken by Price Waterhouse Coopers.
Telenor Group CEO and President Jon Fredrik Baksaas said India's growing telecom sector has the potential to reach out to the sub-regional districts located at the periphery and the local panchayats.
Pilot further said there was a need to create customised services, by keeping in mind regional needs. The government intervention at appropriate levels was needed and there was a need for a symbiotic and transparent relationship between public and private players.
Jamie Ferguson, Executive Director, HIT Strategy and Policy Fellow, Kaiser Permanente, USA, added that there was a need to put in place the required infrastructure, financing based on pre-defined payments to professional healthcare service providers as well as a specific mechanism to customise data collection, starting with hospitals then reaching out to households.
David Aylward, executive director, mHealth Alliance, United Nations Foundation, Washington DC, stressed the need for trained professionals to make regular field visits to disseminate information and empower the poor to give them access to specialised healthcare services.
