"We strongly recommend that the government should not dictate and control the business models of the EUAs (End User Applications). It should be based on a free-market model, where-in every EUA should have the freedom to decide its own business model, as per business viability," Healthcare application Practo told the National Health Authority in its comments on the proposed Unified Health Interface (UHI). The UHI, which would form the second last layer of the government's multi-layered National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), defines how third-party End User Applications (EUAs) like that of Practo and hospitals would interact with the NDHM. To provide the integration, UHI proposes to charge them some fees as well as set ground rules for how they could conduct their businesses while on the platform. On September 2, the NHA made public the submissions by various health service providers and digital health stakeholders on the proposed UHI and other components of the National Digital Health Mission. This included comments by Practo, one of the most prominent health applications in the country. In its submission, Practo raises concerns about potential digital health monopolies, reduction in quality of patient care, and more which are significant given its stake in the healthtech sector with a claim to have over 17 crore customers. Practo's submissions to the National Health Authority 1. On the Open Network Approach The NHA proposed that an Open Network Protocol could be used for dispensing digital health services that are based on shared technical standards which will allow healthcare…
