Context: Recently, Union Cabinet has approved the national roll-out of the Central Sector Scheme, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with a budget of Rs 1,600 crore for five years.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)

• It  will create a seamline online platform through the provision of a wide range of data, information and infrastructure services. 
• It will also leverage open, interoperable, standards-based digital systems while ensuring the personal information is safe. 
• It'll work on the foundations laid down in the form of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile (JAM) trinity.
• It will not only facilitate evidence-based decision making for effective public health interventions, but it will also catalyse innovation and generate employment across the healthcare ecosystem.
• It aims to develop the backbone necessary to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country. It will bridge the existing gap amongst different stakeholders of healthcare ecosystem through digital highways.
• ABDM would facilitate a comprehensive feedback loop between researchers, policymakers, and providers.
• Better quality of macro and micro-level data will enable advanced analytics, usage of health-biomarkers and better preventive healthcare.
• It will also enable geography and demography-based monitoring and appropriate decision making to inform design and strengthen implementation of health programmes and policies.

Objectives of the Mission

• To strengthen the accessibility and equity of health services, including continuum of care with citizen as the owner of data, in a holistic healthcare programme approach leveraging IT & associated technologies and support the existing health systems in a ‘citizen-centric’ approach.
• To establish state-of-the-art digital health systems, to manage the core digital health data, and the infrastructure required for its seamless exchange;
• To create a system of personal health records, based on international standards, easily accessible to individuals and healthcare professionals and services providers, based on individual’s informed consent;
• To promote development of enterprise-class health application systems with a special focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for health;
• To adopt the best principles of cooperative federalism while working with the States and Union Territories for the realization of the vision;
• To ensure that the healthcare institutions and professionals in the private sector participate actively with public health authorities in the building of the ABDM, through a combination of prescription and promotion

How will it help citizens:

• Under the ABDM, citizens will be able to create their ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) numbers, to which their digital health records can be linked. 
• This will enable you to create health records across healthcare providers, and improve their clinical decision making. 
• The mission will improve "equitable access" to quality healthcare as it'll encourage the use of technologies such as telemedicine, and enable national portability of health services.

Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts

• The pilot of ABDM was completed in the six UTs of Ladakh, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. During the pilot, the digital sandbox was created in which more than 774 partner solutions are undergoing integration.
• As on 24th February 2022, 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.

By: Shubham Tiwari