Thread: For this story @chahat_rana1 spoke to 5 healthcare workers in Chandigarh (more off the record) who said that they were being pressurised to register in National Digital Health Mission databases (1/n)
https://caravanmagazine.in/health/doctors-in-chandigarh-compelled-to-register-for-the-voluntary-national-health-id via @thecaravanindia

Remember, officials have been saying that participating in the NDHM, that is, getting a National Health ID is completely voluntary. Chandigarh is one of 7 UTs in which an NDHM pilot project is being carried out (2/n)

At least 3 institutes - PGIMER, GMCH 32, and GMSH 16 - issued circulars in August saying that registration for health IDs was mandatory and asked doctors, staff members AND their families to sign on. Doctors were asked to sign in to the Digi Doctor database of NDHM.(3/n)

PGIMER later issued another order saying that registration was voluntary. (This might have been after the earlier circular made its way to social media and reporters and others started asking questions). NHA officials keep telling the media that it is voluntary (4/n)

Doctors and healthcare workers say that their seniors keep asking if they have registered. Some say they have been told that non-compliance reports will be sent to their HODs if they don't register. Even patients have been asked to register. (5/n)

All this is happening before public consultation for the Health Data Management Policy is even over. This is already playing out like Aadhaar-voluntary on paper, mandatory on the ground. (6/n)

Many more details in the story (n/n)