Algorand and SEWA launch Digital Health Passport initiative for women

AlgoBharat, the Algorand Foundation’s India initiative, announced plans to develop a Digital Health Passport in partnership with Lok Swasthya SEWA. The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) outlining the details of a blockchain-based solution that will provide users with a secure and immutable record of their verified credentials to more efficiently access critical health benefits and social safety net programmes. The new solution will allow SEWA’s growing network of community centres, SEWA Shakti Kendras, to more rapidly scale and target their services based on each household’s unique needs.

Each SEWA Shakti Kendra (SSK) provides vital information on health and related services, collects and validates documents manually to access entitlements, and then transfers and consolidates the individual-level data in spreadsheets on the nearly 34,000 households (and 200,000 individuals) it currently reaches. The Digital Health Passport aims to reduce manual errors while maintaining information in a secure manner that is compliant with India’s new Personal Identifiable Information regulations. Blockchain’s security features will further ensure that SEWA members can retain control over their own identities, protecting their data from unauthorised access and tampering.  Lok Swasthya SEWA will also gain a macro view of the demographic details of the growing population it serves, allowing it to more effectively target its services to informal women workers and their families.

Awareness of and access to programmes like Ayushman Bharat, including the Digital Health Mission and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) health insurance programme remains a challenge for millions in India’s large informal labour force. The hurdles to accessing care can be particularly steep for women involved in the informal economy, especially in obtaining and ensuring the safekeeping of their documents. The Digital Health Passport aims to allow SEWA Shakti Kendras to leverage their position with informal women workers and their families to rapidly enrol SEWA members into critical health and social protection programmes that help them stay healthy, work and earn. 

The Digital Health Passport solution, built on the Algorand blockchain, will aim to ensure the tamper-proof storage and easy retrieval of critical documents and health data, allowing women to manage their health information effectively, regardless of the healthcare facility they visit.