The way health data is stored, protected, and ultimately deleted is becoming a defining factor in how healthcare systems build trust. Around the world, countries follow very different rules; some keep patient records for a decade, others for a lifetime, and a few for far longer.
India, meanwhile, is in the middle of a major shift as new healthcare guidelines and the DPDP Act reshape how hospitals, clinics, and digital health platforms handle personal health information.
In this piece, we unpack these differences in a simple, clear way—breaking down global standards, India’s regulatory expectations, and what organisations need to prepare for as digital healthcare accelerates.