What’s the news: India’s health tech firms are pushing for self-regulation of its data “in the absence of a sound legislation for data protection,” reported the Pharmabiz on October 13, 2022. The demand came in the wake of a revised Health Data Management Policy (HDMP) that allows the processing of personal health data without consent in the “interest of public health.” According to Amrit Singh, Co-founder and CRO of health and insurance tech startup “Loop Health,” healthcare providers are obligated to properly manage patient data “to create a culture of trust and transparency with patients.” He said that at a time when data breaches and cyber-attacks are becoming a common phenomenon, patient information has become more at-risk and can be dangerous in the wrong hands. He pushed that healthcare providers take it upon themselves to protect the data until a regulation regarding is pending. Why it matters: Health data is particularly sensitive information for many people. It is also of great value to data brokers who sell such data to private companies and researchers. The policy mentioned above allows for certain government backdoors to access data. Unsurpisingly, this will worsen people’s apprehension of sharing their health information online. So health tech companies are hard-pressed to create a trust-based relationship by pushing for self-regulation which will help users put their faith with the company. Even in healthcare, user trust is the need of the hour According to studies referred by Pharmabiz, trust in doctors is “at an all-time low.” Health tech…
