Crudely aggregated health data and multiple identifiers can make the administration of healthcare difficult and challenge universal health coverage. The introduction of unique identifiers offers a possible solution by supporting the establishment of an effective and equitable national health system. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) publication On the Road to Universal Health Coverage: Every Person Matters further underlines the need for personal official identification (ID) to ensure an individual’s access to government services, and social and economic programs.
The following eight stages are suggested to guide the implementation of unique identifiers and create a robust digital ID system that is interoperable and scalable:
- Develop an enabling legal environment for registration and identification, with a fundamental commitment to data privacy and security
- Convene stakeholders and create cross-agency support
- Develop long-term financing and a capacity development plan for ICT investments and training programs
- Establish an ICT-based, universal civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system
- Introduce the technical components, such as servers, for setting up a civil registry or patient registry, and network infrastructure
- Build an integrated population identification system
- Launch a unified data distribution and verification center covering all individuals
- Align organizations and introduce e-governance processes to ensure efficient and transparent service delivery