DISHA - Need for a Comprehensive Legal Framework for Preventing Healthcare Data Leakages in India

The recent HealthEC data breach in the US (https://lnkd.in/d_Maxk2V), affecting 4.5 million individuals, is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in healthcare data security. Just a couple of months back, it was reported that the personal data of around 815 million Indian citizens got leaked from the Indian Centre of Medical Research (ICMR) terming it as the biggest data breach in India.

India took a significant step forward with the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDP) a few months ago. However, while DPDP is meant to protect the digital personal data, DISHA (DIGITAL INFORMATION SECURITY IN HEALTH CARE ACT) is an act which caters specifically to data privacy in the healthcare sector, and could prove to be of great value and impact in protecting the health care data of the citizen if it gets implemented.

DISHA is aimed to protect digital healthcare data of an individual which refers to digitally stored records of one’s visits to a clinical establishment, general health records, tests conducted as well as information of any organs donated. It applies to clinical establishments which include all healthcare institutions ranging from hospitals, maternity homes to any institution offering diagnosis, treatment, or cure for an illness.?In fact, government research bodies like the ICMR would also be covered under DISHA.

The HealthEC and ICMR incidents underscore the need for a robust legal framework in India, akin to HIPAA compliance in the US, to safeguard sensitive health information. Let's learn from these events and proactively implement measures to prevent such data breaches in India.

Join the call for DISHA - because safeguarding healthcare data is not just a legal obligation - it's a commitment to the well-being of citizens! ?????

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