[Marxistindia] Letter to PM - Postpone finalisation of HDMP & NDMH

[news from the cpi(m)]

August 31, 2020

Press Release

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury has addressed a letter to  
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today requesting that the central  
government postpone the finalisation of both the HDMP and the NDMH  
before parliament concludes its consideration on the PDP Bill. This is  
light of the government seeking comments on the Health Data Management  
Policy by September 3, 2020

The full text of the letter is being released herewith.


*******

Dear Pradhan Mantri ji,

I am writing to you regarding the announcement by your government  
seeking comments on the Health Data Management Policy (HDMP) by  
September 3, 2020. This needs to be postponed and no policy may be  
finalised before a structured discussion on the serious implications  
contained in this draft are considered.

Such a discussion becomes imperative given the fact that the HDMP is  
part of the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) that was announced  
by you on Independence Day 2020. Strangely, the government has sought  
comments on the HDMP in isolation and not the NDHM as a whole.

The NDHM proposes to collect sensitive personal data of all citizens  
which will then be made available to private insurance corporates and  
the pharmaceutical companies. This is a serious breach of protection  
of personal data.

After considerable discussion in the country and in the parliament,  
the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 (PDP Bill) was introduced,  
which is currently pending before parliament. The proposed HDMP makes  
no reference to this Bill that is pending for consideration of the  
parliament. In fact the proposed HDMP has many provisions that amount  
to a serious dilution of the essence of the Bill before parliament  
i.e. regarding governance of data protection.

Under these circumstances, I urge the central government to postpone  
the finalisation of both the HDMP and the NDMH before parliament  
concludes its consideration on the PDP Bill.

Both the houses of parliament have been convened to meet on the 14th  
of September. Parliament should discuss and consider the NDHM and the  
HDMP while it discusses the PDP Bill, 2019.

No implementation of any Mission can be made unless parliament and its  
structures like the Standing Committee consider these proposals in  
depth.

Hence, we urge you to defer the date of September 3, 2020 as the final  
date for comments.





Yours sincerely


Sd/-

(Sitaram Yechury)
General Secretary


Shri Narendra Modi
Prime Minister
Government of India