The Union Health Secretary has emphasized the importance of linking Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) with various health portals to streamline health records and enhance clinical decision-making in healthcare. As part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, efforts are being made to create longitudinal health records for individuals by linking ABHA with programs such as Reproductive Child Health (RCH) and the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NIKSHAY). Despite the significant number of ABHA IDs created, there is a disparity in the number of beneficiaries actually linked with ABHA under different health programs like Non-communicable diseases (NCD) and Sickle cell, urging the stakeholders to take necessary actions to improve linkage.
The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to involve all health facilities in the country. It is crucial for states and union territories to ensure the successful linkage of beneficiaries with ABHA in various health portals to fully utilize the benefits of digital health records. The ABDM platform, through the Health Facility Registry and Health Professional Registry, must be optimally utilized to facilitate this process and enhance the accessibility and sharing of digital health records for patients.
Efforts have been made to encourage states and union territories to comply fully with the seeding of ABHA on various portals, highlighting the significant progress made by some regions in creating ABHA IDs. By linking beneficiaries under programs like NCD, Sickle Cell, and Reproductive and Child Health, the objective is to improve the availability and sharing of health records digitally. Furthermore, the integration of beneficiaries under the IDSP-IHIP portal is also emphasized by the Health Secretary to enhance the effectiveness of the ABDM and ensure a seamless process for citizens to access and share their digital health records.