If the goal is to verify a patient’s identity, why not use Aadhaar, hospital records, or biometric verification—methods that exist and don’t violate dignity?

Recent reports highlight a concerning trend in the implementation of Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY in certain states. In an attempt to curb fraudulent claims and misuse of funds, some insurance companies have mandated the submission of images showing both the patient’s face and the surgery site.

Which, in many cases, means breasts, hips, and other areas. And if that doesn’t sound like a serious privacy violation, we need to talk about why this is not just an issue of medical ethics but also a dangerous precedent in a country already struggling with data privacy, digital voyeurism, and cyber exploitation.

Fraud in medical claims is a real issue, but forcing patients, especially women, to submit sensitive images is not the solution. There are already scientific, standardized ways to confirm medical conditions—clinical exams, MRIs, biopsies, mammograms, ultrasound scans. None of these require photographs of a patient’s body. If the goal is to verify a patient’s identity, why not use Aadhaar, hospital records, or biometric verification—methods that exist and don’t violate dignity?

But here’s where it gets even more problematic. This policy isn’t just about bureaucracy—it’s about power, control, and the systemic disregard for patient rights, especially women’s rights. Medical ethics demand that patient dignity be at the core of healthcare. Yet, this move treats patients like suspects first and individuals second, reducing healthcare access to a humiliating, invasive process. And we’ve seen this before—where systems meant to serve the public instead turn into tools of surveillance and control.

The chilling risk of data leaks

What makes this worse is that it’s happening in a country where data leaks are not some rare exception but an everyday reality. Banks, government agencies, even police databases have been hacked—what’s stopping the same from happening to these deeply personal medical images? The potential risks are chilling. Women may face public humiliation and lifelong stigma when ihe images are leaked. Unscrupulous elements may resort to blackmail, online exploitation, and misuse in deep fake pornography. Most importantly, women may avoid crucial treatment out of fear, thus widening healthcare disparities

The larger pattern of control over women’s bodies

It’s not just about privacy—it’s about power, about control, about who gets to decide how a woman’s body is seen, documented, and stored in a system that has repeatedly failed to protect sensitive data. And let’s not pretend this is just an oversight. Women’s bodies have been subjected to unnecessary scrutiny, restrictions, and outright violations for centuries—from forced sterilizations to the policing of reproductive rights.

Take, for instance, the countless cases where women have had to fight for autonomy over their own health decisions—whether it’s access to birth control, abortion rights, or even something as basic as menstrual health awareness. 

Asking women to submit images of their breasts or intimate body parts just to access healthcare isn’t just an invasion of privacy—it’s a direct reinforcement of a system that has always prioritized control over care.

Many of the women who rely on government healthcare schemes come from marginalized backgrounds, often with limited awareness of their rights or legal protections. If a hospital tells them to submit a photo to get treatment, what choice do they have? It’s coercion masked as compliance.

The legal and ethical violations

Then there’s the legal aspect. India already has laws that emphasize patient privacy—the Medical Council of India (MCI) Code of Ethics, the Personal Data Protection Bill, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. But weak enforcement allows policies like this to slip through the cracks.

The MCI Code of Ethics clearly states that a doctor must maintain confidentiality and uphold the dignity of patients at all times. Similarly, the proposed Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 stresses informed consent and data protection, yet here we are, with patients being asked to hand over some of their most private medical images without any proper safeguards.

Instead of adding another layer of vulnerability for patients, authorities need to step up their game and strengthen fraud detection through audits, biometric verification, and better documentation—not invasive images. Medical professionals need to be trained on patient dignity and ethical healthcare.  Penalties for privacy violations should be more strictly enforcef—because without accountability, laws mean nothing.

Data protection policies need to be implemented strictly to ensure patient information, especially sensitive images, doesn’t become just another leaked file on the dark web. Equally important is the education of patients about their rights so they aren’t forced into compliance out of fear or lack of awareness.

Fix the system, don’t punish patients

Forcing women to submit explicit medical images under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY is not just an unethical bureaucratic move—it’s a dangerous, gendered attack on privacy in a country where women are already disproportionately affected by digital crimes. If we really care about fraud prevention, let’s fix the system instead of making patients—especially the most vulnerable—pay the price.

Fraud detection should not come at the cost of dignity, safety, and basic human rights. The right to privacy is not a privilege—it’s a fundamental right. And no patient should have to choose between healthcare and their personal dignity.

       -Dr A L Sharada, Trustee, Population First