Ayushman Bharat: Building a Paperless Healthcare System

Context

The government’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has made significant progress, having data linked digital health records of more than 104 crore and ABHA accounts of 93 crore. The implementation of Aarogya Setu 2.0, scaling up of the Digital Health Incentive Scheme (DHIS), and the application of anonymised data from ABDM for public health AI have further solidified the digital health framework in India.

Current Achievements and Adoption

ABDM is one of the most rapidly growing and largest DPIs in India. More than 930 million (93 crore) ABHA has been created so far and more than 1.04 billion (104 crore) digital health records have been mapped with these ABHA.

Also, the government’s directives for AB-PMJAY make it a prerequisite for hospitals to be compliant with ABDM to take government health scheme payments. This has led to a high level of private hospital–clinics–lab–digital health tech solution integrations.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) 

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is the Government of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) initiative to establish a single, interoperable, secure digital health ecosystem. It is introduced by the National Health Authority (NHA) as part of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and it brings patients, health care providers and insurers together in a single digital platform.

Key Building Blocks of ABDM Architecture

The ABDM serves as a virtual road, connecting multiple parties. It features the following main elements:

• The ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) number is a unique number of 14 digits applicable to citizens. It is a safe way to connect medical records from various healthcare providers, with the patient’s consent.
• Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR): It is a complete database of certified health care professionals in allopathic and traditional systems of medicine.
• Health Facility Registry (HFR): A standardized registry of all health care facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, diagnostic tests and laboratories, and pharmacies.
• Health Information Exchange and Consent Manager (HIE-CM): A system that provides completely digital consent, driving the exchange of patient information.
• Unified Health Interface (UHI): This is an open protocol which enables citizens to make a teleconsultation, doctor appointment and other health services appointments throughout various applications.
• National Health Claims Exchange (HCX): A single database to help streamline and normalize the insurance claim and settlement process.

Significance for Universal Health Coverage

• Eliminate Paperwork: Develops “longitudinal health records,” keeping a person’s medical history in one secure place and easily accessible, so that medical documents are not lost.
• Nationwide Portability: Provides access and sharing of patient records across all the hospitals which are ABDM enabled, which is very beneficial to the migrant workers and travelers.
• Lower Health Care Expenses: It enables doctors to access all patient medical data (with permission) and thus avoids redundant diagnostic testing. This also makes it easier to claim insurance, thus lowering out-of-pocket health care costs.
• Efficient Governance: Health data that is anonymized as a result of the network is used to inform targeted public health programs, budgets and/or policy interventions by the government.

Challenges and Concerns

• Digital Divide: Low levels of digital literacy and access to smartphones in rural and remote areas, combined with poor internet connectivity, is a challenge to widespread adoption (Digital Divide).
• Highly sensitive personal health data: data privacy and security are essential when dealing with highly sensitive personal health data, as stringent security measures are necessary to prevent data breaches or misuse.
• Legacy Systems: Some small clinics and government hospitals have yet to have the hardware, software, and IT systems to connect with the ABDM network.

Source: DD News

UPSC Practice Question 

Q. How has Ayushman Bharat contributed to building a digital and paperless healthcare system in India? Discuss its significance and challenges. (10 Marks, 150 Words)

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