The HPR is set to replace the Doctor's Registry which raised concerns of digital infrastructural gaps and excluded allied healthcare professionals like lab technicians. The National Health Authority under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) recently published a consultation paper on the Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR), one of the core building blocks of NDHM. The idea behind the HPR is to create a recognised registry of healthcare professionals operating within India’s healthcare ecosystem. The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) was introduced as an implementation strategy to digitise existing records of healthcare providers, facilities, and electronic patient records. Certain building blocks have been identified to design and deliver services under the NDHM, with some of them being registries. These core building blocks are: Health ID Health Facility Registry (HFR) Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) Security Operation Centre (SOC) Privacy Operation Centre (POC) Standard API/Master Data Drug Registry Health Analytics Health Data Fiduciary Registry (HDFR) The NDHM is guided by the principles of the National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB). In the original NDHB, a ‘Health Workforce Registry’ was proposed to serve as a database for information on doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff. When the NDHM was rolled out in its initial pilot phase in 6 UTs last year, the registries launched were the Health ID, Doctor’s Registry - containing only information on doctors, and the Health Facility Registry (FHR). Referring to the limited scope of the Doctor’s Registry, the paper says that “the current registry needs to be expanded to include…
