On September 27, 2021, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India launched the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA). This happened about a year after the pandemic began. ABHA is a health savings account under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). Its purpose is to provide health benefits to poor and vulnerable people in the country, working towards the goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
What is ABHA? Why do we need it?
ABHA will link hospitals across India through a digital network, making healthcare more reachable. Approved by the National Health Authority (NHA), it is part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, aiming to build a National Digital Health Ecosystem.
With the ABHA ID, the government plans to connect healthcare services across states, enabling hospitals to access and share medical data across the country. The main purpose is to create a strong healthcare network by securely gathering users’ medical records in one platform.
Users can decide to share their health data with hospitals and doctors across India and control who has access to their information.
As part of the Digital India Mission, ABHA provides many benefits. It allows citizens to access medical care easily, offers a simple sign-up for personal health records through apps like ABDM ABHA, and gives each person a unique, trusted ID for secure health services.
visit healthid.ndhm.gov.in.
What is a digital health card?
The ABHA health locker safely stores our medical records and lets us share them with doctors whenever needed. We can check our records anytime and from anywhere.
This digital health card has important health information, making it easy for doctors to quickly view our treatment history and medical details.
ABHA users can also access various services, like cashless treatment at select top hospitals, making healthcare more simple and convenient.
What are Personal Health Records (PHR)?
Personal Health Records (PHR) are digital profiles that store and manage a person’s health information, making it easy to access and share medical records. Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), users receive a Health ID after creating their ABHA, helping them securely manage and share their health data.
A Digital Health Card, stored on a device or in the cloud, contains detailed health information like medical records and test results. The PHR, or Personal Health Record, is a self-chosen username that lets users log into the Healthcare Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HE-CM) for secure data access. This PHR address can be created in the ABHA section of the Eka Care App. ABHA is available to all Indian citizens, regardless of background, and can be accessed through healthid.ndhm.gov.in.
How to Create ABHA card?
Step 1: Visit the official website and click on “Create ABHA Number.”
Step 2: Choose either your Aadhaar card or driver’s license for verification, then click “Next.”
Step 3: Carefully read the declaration provided. It’s important not to skip through it, as it details what information you are sharing with the government.
Step 4: After agreeing to the declaration, you will be taken to a page where you need to enter the OTP sent to your registered mobile number.
Step 5: Complete the process by clicking on “SUBMIT.”
That’s it! Your ABHA card will be created.
Benefits of Having abha card
Now that we have successfully created our ABHA identity card, we can log in anytime using our registered phone number and date of birth. After logging in, we can open and download our ABHA card.
- Once you add your Aadhaar details, the ABHA account is automatically linked to your Aadhaar, with no additional documents required.
- A major advantage is that we don’t have to stand in long lines for hospital admission. Instead, we can simply share our Ayushman Bharat Health Card with the health facility.
- Doctors can easily view our complete health history, including past illnesses, treatments, medications, discharge summaries, tests, and reports, allowing them to offer better and quicker care.
- The Ayushman Bharat Health Card also gives access to AYUSH health services, covering Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy.