Fact Check: Govt Has Not Sought Personal Details Like Caste, Finances, Religion For Health IDs

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has busted fake news circulating in social media regarding the health ID and said that the government is not asking for any sensitive information.

(File Photo/ AFP)

New Delhi: The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has alerted about fake news regarding the upcoming health ID circulating in social media in the past few days, there were claims that for the health ID people will have to submit information such as sexual orientation, political views, caste etc. The PIB has said that unlike what is being reported, the government is not asking for sensitive personal information for the ID.

Claim: Media report has claimed that the government is asking for “sensitive personal data” for the registration of Health ID. #PIBFactCheck: This claim is #Fake Information like name, year of birth, state, etc. are required while registering for Health ID. pic.twitter.com/m2LMTRCAIy

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) September 1, 2020

The Health ID is part of the National Digital Health Mission which was revealed on Independence Day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to the nation. Under this scheme, people will be given a unique Health ID which will contain their entire medical history. It will be used as one-stop access through which you can provide all your health records to any of your doctors and healthcare centres. Since the Government of India owns and operates the Mission, the government will keep a record of your information “right from the admission to treatment and discharge” in the cloud. ALSO READ: Maharashtra: With Over 16,000 New Cases, State's COVID-19 Tally Shot Up To 780,689; Total Deaths 24,399 And health insurance companies too will have access to all your information through your Health ID digits. According to media reports, in the beginning, to create a Health ID card, a user will have to provide a phone number or Aadhar card number. Basic details such as gender, name, date of birth, etc need to be entered once you have put in your Aadhar number or phone number. The Digital health IDs will also have a voluntary opt-in opt-out system, unlike Aadhar which only gives this option to children. The portal is said to be encrypted, citizens can also control who accesses their information as they can hide certain information from healthcare bodies by enabling only partial consent.