New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Saturday approved the national rollout of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfares’ Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission with a budget of Rs 1,600 crore for five years.
The National Health Authority will be the implementing agency of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
"Digital health solutions across the healthcare ecosystem have proven beneficial over the years, with CoWIN, Arogya Setu and eSanjeevani demonstrating the role technology can play in enabling access to healthcare. However, there is a need to integrate such solutions for the continuum of care, and effective utilisation of resources," said the Health Ministry.
What Is Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission?
Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, citizens can create their own ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) number which can be linked to their digital health records.
This will help the users to create longitudinal health records for individuals across various healthcare providers and improve clinical decision-making by health providers.
According to the Health Ministry, the scheme will improve equitable access to quality healthcare by encouraging the use of technologies such as telemedicine and enabling national portability of health services.
ABDM Health Accounts
A pilot of the ABDM was completed in the six union territories of Ladakh, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Puducherry, Andaman, and the Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep with successful demonstration of technology platform developed by the NHA.
A digital sandbox was created during the pilot where more than 774 partner solutions underwent integration.
17,33,69,087 Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts have been created and 10,114 doctors and 17,319 health facilities have been registered in ABDM, as of February 24, 2022.
“Not only will ABDM facilitate evidence-based decision-making for effective public health interventions, but it will also catalyse innovation and generate employment across the healthcare ecosystem,” the Ministry said.