The unique identification number (UID) programme, or simply Aadhaar, promises to change the way the ?ailing population? would be counted in the country. And this will be done by ensuring that the real disease burden is reflected with accuracy so the government can promptly address the challenges in a more targeted and efficient manner.

Today, the estimated number of diabetics, cardiovascular patients and those suffering from neurological disorders in the country are at best informed guesses.

?An integrated routine health system that can capture and track population-level disease conditions by linking citizen IDs with hospitals or other medical facility records generated through facility visits can inform the public health system of the prevalence of various routine disease conditions and help prepare the health system to respond to unforeseen epidemics,? the Survey predicts, answering a very critical question on how the public health stands to benefit from the application of the UID.

Regular flow of health information that captures and tracks the trends and patterns of morbidity and mortality linking it with causal disease conditions is crucial to improve public health outcomes including life expectancy.

The UID programme is likely to map the extent and the increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases, which till today have not been captured reliably through any effort.

Currently, infrequent national or state level surveys remain the major mode of collecting data on infectious disease conditions. However, chronic or lifestyle diseases are not captured in any meaningful way even through these surveys. The closest the country has got to assessing the burden of non-communicable diseases is through the the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke, started by the health ministry with an allocation of R125 crore in 2011-12.

However, this programme is still in its preliminary stages.

This could change if Aadhaar helps various stakeholders in healthcare such as government health schemes, hospitals, insurance providers pharmacists, drug companies and health research agencies coordinate effectively.

Public health in India is in the midst of a transition with the government rolling up sleeves to usher in universal health coverage. A strong signal in terms of a greater commitment towards government financing of public and primary healthcare came by just two weeks back when the Prime Minister’s Office decided to more than double the allocation for healthcare to 2.5% of the GDP over the next five years. For the last five years, it has hovered between a measly 1.25 and 1.4%, the lowest in the world.

There is tremendous pressure on India to move towards and meet the Millennium Development Goals. Aadhaar numbers could also help governments and service providers to identify beneficiaries for health programmes like the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), and deliver benefits in a more transparent manner. Monitoring whether the right candidate is getting the cash benefit or treatment could also get easier through instant identity verification.