Upholding Women's Reproductive Health through MHealth Applications: Comparative Analysis of Health Data Protection Laws in India and the EU

Abstract

Novelty has always found its way into the health industry, particularly in its evolving services. One of the primary drivers of systematic advancements is the pursuit of Target 3.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which focuses on universal health coverage. The invention of Mobile health applications marks another magnificent step in this direction. Developing economies, including India, have aimed to achieve the target by 2030 in alignment with the World Health Organisation (WHO). Nevertheless, national health reports often lack a holistic perspective. Annual health survey reports from various Indian states highlight significant disparities in women’s access to health care services. As cited in the National Health Survey 2025, the root causes of these disparities in India are largely socio-economic. These include monetary disparity, social restrictions, etc. Consequently, menstrual health, reproductive health care, maternal mortality, and mental health issues are often deprioritised. This paper explores how universal health coverage by 2030 can be achieved through the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) powered mobile health applications, suggesting telemedicine that specifically addresses women-centric health issues. It identifies the key cause of health access disparity for women in India and evaluates the effectiveness of the artificial intelligence (AI) powered mobile health applications through a comparative analysis with other jurisdictions that have successfully implemented the telemedicine technology. It also analyses the key regulatory frameworks present in India that could regulate the usage of telemedicine by protecting the health data of women.