When compared globally, India’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) stands out as a unique digital public infrastructure (DPI) approach rather than just another health IT project.
While countries like the UK, Australia, South Korea, and Estonia have made significant strides in digital health, ABDM blends federated design, open APIs, and consent-driven data exchange in a way few others have attempted—especially at India’s scale.
🔎 Comparative Lens: ABDM vs Global Models
1. UK – NHS Digital
- ✅ Standardized records, provider registries, e-prescriptions
- ❌ Centralized system (less flexible, less patient control)
2. Australia – My Health Record (MHR)
- ✅ Consent-driven record sharing, national ID linkage
- ❌ Centralized repository, limited innovation opportunities
3. South Korea – National Healthcare ICT
- ✅ Universal digitization, EHR adoption, insurance integration
- ❌ Driven by mandates, less voluntary, less patient-centric
4. Estonia – e-Health System
- ✅ Integrated with e-governance (banking, ID, etc.), patient access
- ❌ Smaller scale, more homogenous population, fewer diversity challenges
👉 Key Insight: Unlike centralized systems, ABDM’s federated approach ensures privacy, scalability, and flexibility for innovation, while leveraging India’s existing India Stack (Aadhaar + UPI + DigiLocker).
📊 Comparison Table: ABDM vs Global Initiatives
Country | Initiative | Similarities | Differences |
🇮🇳 India | ABDM | N/A (Baseline) | Federated, DPI-based model |
🇬🇧 UK | NHS Digital | Registries, interoperability | Centralized data, limited APIs |
🇦🇺 Australia | My Health Record | Consent-based sharing | Centralized, fewer innovation pathways |
🇰🇷 South Korea | Nat’l Healthcare ICT | EHR adoption, insurance integration | Mandate-driven, less patient-centric |
🇪🇪 Estonia | e-Health System | Gov-tech integration, patient access | Smaller scale, more uniform |
📚 Research Implications for IS Scholars
From an Information Systems (IS) theory perspective, ABDM is a goldmine of insights:
- Platform Orchestration: Unlike commercial platforms (Amazon, Uber), ABDM shows how public-purpose platforms can operate at scale.
- Governance Models: Balancing central standards (APIs, registries) with federated autonomy demonstrates how to manage power asymmetries in healthcare.
- Institutional Change: Healthcare’s professional norms often resist disruption; ABDM provides a live case of strategies to overcome resistance.
- Ecosystem Development: Hackathons, sandboxes, and developer APIs highlight how government-led ecosystems can stimulate innovation.
💡 Tip for Researchers: ABDM is an ideal longitudinal case study—track adoption over time, across states, and between public/private actors.
🛠 Practical Lessons for Policymakers & Implementers
ABDM’s journey offers hands-on insights for digital health projects worldwide:
- 🚀 Phased rollouts → Start with pilots before scaling nationwide.
- 🧩 Voluntary adoption → Encourage participation instead of forcing it.
- 🤝 Stakeholder engagement → Co-create with doctors, startups, patients.
- 🔒 Privacy-first design → Federated + consent-based = higher trust.
- 📚 Digital literacy → Train providers & patients, not just build tech.
👉 Checklist for Policymakers
✅ Build on existing digital infrastructure
✅ Ensure interoperability with open standards
✅ Design for inclusivity (urban + rural)
✅ Communicate clearly about privacy protections
🔮 Conclusion: ABDM as a Blueprint for Global Health
The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission isn’t just about creating millions of health IDs—it’s about transforming healthcare access, delivery, and innovation.
- 🌍 For the global community, ABDM is a blueprint on how to blend scale, privacy, and innovation.
- 🏥 For India, its success will be measured not just in numbers but in better health outcomes and equity.
- 📖 For researchers, ABDM is an evolving case study of digital transformation in complex, high-stakes sectors.