The National Health Authority (NHA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Deoghar and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) to promote research, academic partnerships, and data-driven evaluation. The collaboration aims to enhance healthcare outcomes and inform policy decisions under the Ayushman Bharat Health Mission and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme.
Glimpse:
The MoU, signed recently in the presence of senior officials, seeks to leverage institutional expertise and data insights for stronger evidence based policymaking in India’s flagship public health programmes. It builds on NHA’s ongoing efforts to foster collaborations, including a renewed agreement last year with the Department of Health Research (DHR) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Alongside this, NHA announced the expansion of its National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX) platform with three new initiatives to improve claims processing, data interoperability, and efficiency across hospitals, insurers, and other stakeholders.
The National Health Authority has taken a significant step to strengthen India’s public healthcare system by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with AIIMS Deoghar and the Public Health Foundation of India. This partnership focuses on advancing research activities, academic collaboration, and rigorous evidence based evaluation to support the Ayushman Bharat Health Mission and the AB-PMJAY scheme. By combining the clinical and academic strengths of AIIMS Deoghar with PHFI’s public health expertise, the MoU aims to generate valuable data led insights that can improve service delivery and shape more effective policies for millions of beneficiaries.
The agreement was formalised in the presence of Dr Sunil Barnwal, CEO of NHA, Dr Preeti Kumar, Vice President Health Systems at PHFI, and Dr Abhishek Onkar, Head of Department at AIIMS Deoghar. This collaboration forms part of NHA’s broader strategy to build stronger institutional ties across the health ecosystem. It follows the renewal of a similar MoU last year with the Department of Health Research and the Indian Council of Medical Research, which emphasised technical cooperation, evidence based decision-making, optimal resource allocation, and quality enhancement in national health schemes.
In parallel with the new MoU, NHA announced the expansion of its National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX) platform. The platform now includes three fresh initiatives designed to standardise and streamline health insurance claims processing. These enhancements will facilitate seamless data exchange between hospitals, insurers, and other stakeholders, leading to greater efficiency, reduced processing delays, and improved interoperability in the overall claims ecosystem. Such digital infrastructure plays a crucial role in making Ayushman Bharat services more responsive and transparent for both providers and patients.
This development underscores the growing emphasis on data-driven and collaborative approaches to address challenges in public healthcare delivery. Experts believe the partnership will help generate actionable research that supports better clinical practices, cost effective interventions, and equitable access to quality care across the country, particularly for vulnerable populations covered under AB-PMJAY.
“NHA has signed MoUs with AIIMS Deoghar and Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) to deepen research, academic collaboration, and evidence-based evaluation under the Ayushman Bharat Health Mission and AB-PMJAY scheme.”
By
HB Team
