1 Sep 2025 : Former WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan has emphasized the vital role of medical registries in advancing healthcare research, improving patient outcomes, and shaping evidence-based policymaking. Speaking at a recent public health forum, she highlighted how data-driven decision-making is impossible without accurate, real-time registries that track medical conditions across populations.
Why Medical Registries Matter
Medical registries are systematic collections of health information about individuals with a specific condition or undergoing a particular treatment. These databases allow researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to observe trends, assess treatment effectiveness, and monitor disease outcomes over time.
Dr. Swaminathan explained that registries enable:
- Better Research: Long-term data collection helps scientists understand disease progression and evaluate interventions.
- Improved Patient Care: Clinicians can benchmark treatments, compare results, and adopt best practices.
- Policy Decisions: Governments can allocate resources effectively by knowing where disease burdens are highest.
- Rapid Response to Crises: During outbreaks, registries can track case numbers, demographics, and treatment success rates.
She cited examples of cancer registries and tuberculosis databases that have been instrumental in reducing disease burden in several countries. In India, cancer registries have helped policymakers identify regions with high incidence and implement targeted screening programs.
Current Gaps in India
Despite progress, Swaminathan noted that India still lacks comprehensive national-level registries for many conditions such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes complications, rare genetic disorders, and mental health issues. The absence of robust data makes it challenging to measure the true scale of these problems and develop focused interventions.
Digital Health & Data Privacy
She also stressed the importance of leveraging digital health platforms like Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to build interoperable registries that can integrate data from hospitals, labs, and clinics nationwide. However, she cautioned that strong data privacy laws and patient consent mechanisms must be enforced to protect individuals’ health information.
The Way Forward
Dr. Swaminathan recommended a public-private partnership model to fund and maintain registries, with active participation from medical institutions, patient advocacy groups, and tech companies. She also urged the government to mandate reporting of certain health conditions to create standardized national datasets.
Experts present at the event echoed her views, saying that robust registries will not only improve research but also make India better prepared for future pandemics and chronic disease challenges.
Summary:
Soumya Swaminathan highlights the importance of medical registries for research, patient care, and policymaking, urging India to build robust, digital, privacy-protected databases to track diseases and improve public health outcomes.