New Delhi
The Union Health Secretary has urged states and union territories to link Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) with various health portals, including Reproductive Child Health (RCH) and National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NIKSHAY). Health Secretary Apurva Chandra said that while 5,894.60 lakh ABHA IDs have been created as of April 3, 2024, the linkage with specific health programs is low.
Chandra pointed out that only a small fraction of ABHA IDs are linked with Non-communicable diseases (NCD), Sickle Cell, RCH, NIKSHAY, National Viral Hepatitis Control Program (NVHCP), and Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP). He noted that this lack of linkage limits the benefits of digital health records for patients and other stakeholders.
In a letter to all state and UT governments, Chandra urged immediate action to link existing beneficiaries with ABHA across various health portals and to ensure regular progress reviews. He highlighted that the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), launched in 2021, requires participation from all health facilities.
Chandra stressed that using the ABDM platform’s Health Facility Registry and Health Professional Registry is crucial. He also encouraged states and UTs to link beneficiaries with the Integrated Health Information Platform (IDSP-IHIP) for comprehensive data integration.
Creating and linking ABHA IDs will allow patients to access and share their digital health records, enabling better clinical decision-making and establishing longitudinal health records across healthcare providers, according to officials.
