National Digital Health Mission

The National Digital Health Mission, also known as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), is an initiative by the Indian government to create a seamless online infrastructure for the swift transfer of health and medical data. This mission to strengthen the health infrastructure in India was launched on September 27, 2021. 

 

The ADBM has four key building blocks, namely a unique health ID, a registry for healthcare professionals, a registry for healthcare facilities and the ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) mobile app.

 

With this framework in place, the National Digital Health Mission aims to make data transfer between patients and healthcare providers more efficient.

• Establishing high-tech digital health ecosystems to manage and efficiently transfer medical data.

• Ensuring that this system is deployed across all national digital healthcare stakeholders.

• Creating a secure directory of personal health records of patients which can be quickly and easily accessible by doctors upon the consent of the patients.

• Encouraging and supporting private healthcare practitioners, hospitals and institutions to adopt the ABDM ecosystem.

• Improve the overall management of the health sector by using collected health data and medical research.

• Enhance the efficiency of governance and administration across all government levels.

• Improvement in the efficiency and transparency of healthcare data transfer between patients, medical institutions and healthcare service providers.

• Patients can securely store all their medical information and documents within the ABDM infrastructure.

• Patients can share their medical details with the hospitals/doctors easily through the system in just a few clicks.

• Guidelines and protocols have been laid down to ensure the data is not misused or misrepresented in any way.

• Government policymakers can make better administrative decisions based on the collected medical data and inputs from medical researchers on said data to improve healthcare services.

The Ayushman Bharat Mission is based on 4 main building blocks:

• Health ID

Each user of the ABDM system will have to generate a unique health ID that will be verified and linked to their identification. The user’s medical information will be stored on this unique health ID.

• Healthcare Professionals Registry

It is a complete database of healthcare professionals who are associated with the deployment of healthcare services across the country. By registering themselves on the registry, healthcare professionals can have easy and quick access to patient data and other benefits.

• Health Facility Registry

It is an extensive database of all healthcare facilities across the nation. These include both private and public healthcare facilities like hospitals, diagnostic labs, small clinics, nursing homes, etc.

• ABHA Mobile App

The ABHA mobile app is to be used by the patients to control and access their medical information, as well as share it with healthcare professionals. The app is supported by the secure PHR (Personal Health Record) system. You will need to create a PHR address (username) and link it to your health ID.

All you need to register yourself for the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is:

• An Aadhaar Card linked to a mobile number

Here are the easy steps you can follow to get a unique health ID.

• Step 1: Download and then open the Aarogya Setu App on your phone.

• Step 2: Once you are successfully logged in to Aarogya Setu, you will find the option of ‘Create New ABHA’. Click on it.

• Step 3: On the new page that opens up, enter your UID number and verify it with an OTP that will come to your registered mobile number.

• Step 4: You will have to select your preferred ABHA Address (username).

• Step 5: Once the above steps are completed, your health ID will be generated.

 

Note: This process can also be done through the ABHA PHR app and by visiting an ABDM facility in person.

 

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