The National Health Authority (NHA) has launched a Know Your Doctor (KYD) service, akin to Know Your Customer (KYC), under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. This initiative issues Digital Doctor certificates to verified healthcare professionals to address the issue of quackery.
Healthcare professionals will prominently display these certificates, featuring a QR code similar to the CoWin vaccination certificate, at their clinics. Patients can use this QR code to verify the doctor’s credentials, aiming to combat the presence of unqualified practitioners.
The KYD service ensures that doctors’ profile information is thoroughly verified by state-appointed verifiers or state medical councils before issuing certificates. Currently, over 139,000 doctors have been verified, with plans to enroll nurses and expand to include dentists, pharmacists, and allied healthcare professionals.
As reported by Livemint, the initiative aims to streamline the verification process, provide a repository of qualified medical professionals, and facilitate policy-making through dynamic data analysis. Additionally, workshops are being conducted to educate medical councils and national verifiers about the initiative and the broader Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
Dr. Mahesh Verma, Chairperson of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals, highlights the significance of the Healthcare Professionals Repository (HPR) in policy-making and trend analysis. The repository will provide insights into the demographics and specialties of medical professionals, aiding future workforce planning and patient awareness.