The Union health ministry has started the registration of all government medical facilities and doctors under the Ayushman Bharat - Digital Health Mission (ABDHM), a process that involves the digitisation of their information, including health records.
In a letter dated November 9 addressed to the directors of all government hospitals in the country, and to the secretaries of all government departments, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and chief executive officer of National Health Authority, RS Sharma, wrote that the government of India has decided all its health facilities shall take part in the mission, and laid down steps that need to be followed in coming weeks.
The mission was launched by the Prime Minister on September 27. However, experts say the major challenge for the mission will remain convincing private health care providers to come on board as it is voluntary for them to share information for this digital repository.
The National Health Authority, which supervises the running of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna, the government’s health insurance scheme, is also is tasked with implementing ABDHM.
The health facilities to be registered under ABDHM include, apart from government hospitals, government-run clinics, laboratories, pharmacies and radiology centres across the country. The ABDHM web portal (https://abdm.gov.in/) has separate verticals for the registration of professionals and facilities under different categories that people can access to register.
{{/usCountry}}The health facilities to be registered under ABDHM include, apart from government hospitals, government-run clinics, laboratories, pharmacies and radiology centres across the country. The ABDHM web portal (https://abdm.gov.in/) has separate verticals for the registration of professionals and facilities under different categories that people can access to register.
{{/usCountry}}In addition to registering the facilities, the hospitals and facilities have also been asked to digitize their health records and told to “procure and install a Health/Hospital Information Management System”, according to the letter.
Experts wondered how the government plans to encourage private hospitals and facilities to do the same. “The Ayushman Bharat scheme is a classic example of how private health facilities can be successfully roped in to offer treatment. Health care facilities are unevenly distributed and there are many private hospitals in the periphery that are equipped to treat in terms of infrastructure, and can be made use of,” Dr MC Misra, former director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, said.
A health ministry official said the government is aware of the challenge, and aims to engage with the private sector. “We plan to have constant dialogue and engagement with the private sector that includes both private hospitals and doctors. We will also engage with their associations to create awareness,” added this person on condition of anonymity.