**Summary:**
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has implemented several cybersecurity measures under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to ensure the secure exchange of health data. A key component is that health data exchange is permitted only after explicit patient consent. Digital health applications undergo rigorous security audits, including Web Application Security Audits (WASA), and are validated in a sandbox environment before integration with ABDM. These measures are designed to protect sensitive patient data and ensure compliance with the ABDM's Health Data Management Policy (HDM Policy, 2020).
To strengthen the digital health ecosystem, the Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIECM) gateway facilitates interoperability of health records using common data standards. The Unified Health Interface (UHI) provides a standards-based protocol to enable interoperability of health services. The Ministry released Electronic Health Record (EHR) standards for India in December 2016, following earlier standards in September 2013, and established the National Resource Centre for EHR standards (NRCeS) to promote EHR adoption.
To improve accessibility, the ABHA portal (abha.abdm.gov.in) and the ABHA app have been made multilingual and user-friendly to address digital literacy gaps. The mission also supports assisted and offline ABHA creation in areas with limited internet connectivity.
This information was provided by the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on August 5, 2025.
Key Entities Referenced
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM): A mission focused on creating a digital health ecosystem in India, emphasizing interoperability and patient consent for data exchange.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: The Indian government ministry responsible for health policy and initiatives, including ABDM.
Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIECM): A gateway that enables interoperability of health records between different health providers by prescribing common data standards under ABDM.
Unified Health Interface (UHI): A gateway with standards-based protocol for services built under ABDM to enable interoperability of health services.
National Resource Centre for EHR Standards (NRCeS): A Centre of Excellence established to accelerate and promote the adoption of EHR standards in India.
ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account): A portal and personal health record application designed to be multilingual and user-friendly, facilitating access to digital health services.
Health Data Management Policy (HDM Policy), 2020: A policy that ABDM digital health applications must comply with to protect sensitive patient data.
Rajya Sabha: The upper house of the Parliament of India, where a written reply regarding ABDM was presented.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Steps taken for cyber security under ABDM
Under Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, health data
exchange permitted only after patient consent; Digital
Applications Undergo security audits and sandbox
testing
ABDM Strengthens digital health ecosystem with
HIECM, UHI, and EHR standards implementation via
NRCeS
ABHA Portal have been made multi-lingual and user-
friendly to bridge digital literacy gaps
Posted On: 05 AUG 2025 4:26PM by PIB Delhi
Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), health data exchange between the intended
stakeholders is allowed only after the patient’s consent. Also, prior to integrating with ABDM, digital health
applications are validated in a sandbox environment and undergo security audits such as WASA (Web
Application Security Audit) ensuring that they are secure, protect sensitive patient data, and comply with
ABDM's Health Data Management Policy (HDM Policy), 2020.
The Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIECM) gateway has been developed which
enables interoperability of health records between different health providers by prescribing common data
standards. The Unified Health Interface (UHI) is another gateway with standards-based protocol for services
built under ABDM to enable interoperability of health services. Besides, aiming uniform standard-based
system for creation and maintenance of electronic health records (EHR), Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare released HER standards for India in December 2016 subsequent to earlier notified standards in
September 2013. Further, to accelerate and promote the adoption of EHR standards in India, Centre of
Excellence named as National Resource Centre for EHR standards (NRCeS) has also been established.
Various steps have been taken to ensure that the benefits of the mission reach every citizen. The ABHA portal
[abha.abdm.gov.in] and the government PHR (personal health record) application (ABHA app) have been
made multi-lingual and intuitive to use, to address the lack of digital literacy. The mission also provides for
assisted and offline mode for creation of ABHA for areas with limited internet connectivity/hardware.
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav stated this in a written
reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
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HFW/ Steps taken for cyber security under ABDM /5 August 2025/2
(Release ID: 2152537)