Data Privacy is a main concern in the use of personal data. In September 2013, the MoHFW notified the Electronic Health Record Standards (EHR Standards) for India. They were chosen from the best available, previously used standards applicable to international electronic health records, keeping in view their suitability to and applicability in India. Accordingly, the EHR Standards 2016 document is notified and is placed herewith for adoption in IT systems by healthcare institutions and providers across the country. The MoHFW facilitated its adoption by making available standards such as the Systematised Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terminology (SNOMED CT) free-for-use in India, as well as appointing the interim National Release Centre to handle the clinical terminology standard that is gaining widespread acceptance among healthcare IT stakeholder communities worldwide.
In addition, the MoHFW has proposed a new bill, the Digital Information Security in Healthcare Act (DISHA) to govern data security in the healthcare sector. The purpose of this Act will be to provide for electronic health data privacy, confidentiality, security and standardisation. The MoHFW, through the proposed DISHA, plans to set up a statutory body in the form of a national digital health authority for promoting and adopting: e-health standards; enforcing privacy and security measures for electronic health data; and regulating the storage and exchange of electronic health records. In addition, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha, on 11 December 2019 which intends to seek to provide for the protection of the personal data of individuals, and establishes a Data Protection Authority for the same.