Patient data protection should be treated on par with patient care: AHPI

As India’s healthcare sector accelerates its digital transformation, patient data protection must be treated with the same seriousness as patient care, the Association of Healthcare Providers (India) (AHPI) emphasised during the second edition of its webinar series, ‘From DPDP Compliance to Trusted Healthcare’. Organised by AHPI in collaboration with Zenvive Wellness and HumanFirewall, the webinar brought together healthcare and cybersecurity experts to discuss practical approaches to implementing the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 and strengthening patient trust in an increasingly digital healthcare ecosystem.

With India’s digital health ecosystem already serving an estimated 400 million users and projected to reach nearly 1 billion digital health users by 2030, the discussions highlighted that robust data governance is becoming fundamental to delivering safe, trusted, and patient-centric healthcare.

The webinar featured Sachin Jha, Principal Consultant, HumanFirewall, as the keynote speaker, while Dr Sunil Khetarpal, Deputy Director General, AHPI, moderated the session.

The discussion focused on helping healthcare organisations move beyond regulatory compliance towards building a secure, accountable and trusted healthcare ecosystem.

Key topics included the DPDP Act compliance roadmap for healthcare institutions, Data Fiduciary responsibilities and accountability, patient consent management and documentation, data security and breach response readiness, third-party and vendor risk management, as well as audit, reporting and regulatory alignment. The experts also discussed how hospitals can strengthen governance frameworks, embed privacy into everyday operations and build organisational readiness for evolving data protection requirements.

Dr Girdhar Gyani, Director General, AHPI, said, “Patient trust is the foundation of quality healthcare. Just as hospitals invest in clinical excellence and patient safety, they must now invest equally in protecting patient information. Data privacy is no longer only a compliance requirement; it is an essential pillar of ethical, transparent and responsible healthcare delivery. Building a culture where every healthcare professional understands and values data protection is critical to sustaining patient confidence in the digital era.”

The session underscored that compliance with the DPDP Act extends well beyond technology adoption. Hospitals need clearly defined processes for obtaining informed patient consent, secure mechanisms for managing sensitive health information, continuous staff training, and comprehensive protocols to prevent, detect and respond to data breaches. Participants also discussed the importance of fostering organisation-wide awareness to ensure data privacy becomes an integral part of both clinical and administrative decision-making.

Dr Sunil Khetarpal, Deputy Director General, AHPI, said, “The DPDP Act presents an important opportunity for the healthcare sector to strengthen governance and reinforce patient trust. Compliance should not be viewed merely as a regulatory obligation but as a strategic enabler of responsible healthcare delivery. Through initiatives like this webinar series, AHPI is committed to equipping healthcare providers with practical knowledge and best practices that help them build resilient, patient-centric and future-ready healthcare institutions.”

AHPI reiterated its commitment to supporting healthcare providers through continued awareness initiatives, knowledge-sharing programmes and capacity-building efforts that enable hospitals to navigate the evolving data protection landscape with confidence. The association believes that organisations adopting robust privacy and governance practices today will be better positioned to earn patient trust while meeting India’s rapidly evolving digital healthcare requirements.