National Health Authority (NHA) has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Health Research (DHR) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to promote evidence-based healthcare delivery under the flagship health programs Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

The renewed collaboration aims to strengthen the integration of research-driven insights into health policy, improve clinical decision-making, and enhance data interoperability across public and private healthcare ecosystems.

Under the partnership, the NHA and ICMR will jointly work on:

Generating real world evidence (RWE) using anonymized claims data from AB-PMJAY beneficiaries.

Developing clinical protocols and digital health standards for ABDM-linked platforms.
Enabling research collaborations to inform cost-effectiveness and outcome based healthcare policies.

Dr. R.S. Sharma, CEO of NHA, emphasized that the MoU will accelerate the use of digital health data for public good, helping India move toward a more data driven and equitable healthcare system.

Officials from ICMR noted that the renewed partnership will help in translating research findings into policy frameworks, ensuring that healthcare interventions are guided by robust evidence and real world outcomes.

The initiative is expected to support the government’s mission of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by ensuring transparency, efficiency, and accountability in healthcare delivery through evidence-based reforms.