As of date, around 71,15,10,749 Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts have been created. There are more than 8 lakh verified facilities and healthcare professionals registered on ABHA, allowing individuals to access care instantly. With these interventions, ABHA can facilitate interoperability among stakeholders, and streamline services to become easily accessible to people at large.
Promoting Inclusivity of Treatment: A Step Towards Universal Health Coverage
People, irrespective of their socio-economic status, should have access to the same set of healthcare services. By registering with ABHA, citizens identify themselves as a part of the larger digital healthcare ecosystem and are automatically brought under the umbrella of its services.
ABHA users are assigned a 14-digit unique ID, which entails all their medical records and history for easy access and sharing. The ABHA does not only allow individuals to store their health-related information in a digital format but also contains a registry of registered doctors and healthcare facilities. Patients can search for specialists or healthcare facilities near them as and when required.
Here’s how this unified platform promotes inclusivity by catering to the requirements of people belonging to different categories:
For those living in remote areas - Accessibility
The rural parts of India lack access to healthcare facilities significantly. Factors like lack of infrastructure, inadequate equipment, skilled professionals, and geographical barriers compel people to resort to substandard or even low-quality healthcare services. The lack of access to quality healthcare services may result in increased instances of maternal mortality, infant mortality, low rates of vaccination, and so on.
An individual’s Ayushman Bharat Account ID contains all the relevant information about their medical history, notes from doctors' consultations, vaccination details, and so on.
This is an important step towards decentralisation. The information can be accessed by Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHA workers who are a part of India’s National Rural Health Mission. These ASHA workers can then help the communities by facilitating their treatment, keeping track of their medical records and improving health outcomes.
To make sure that ABHA reaches even in places where internet connectivity is disrupted, the Government has introduced a provision for the offline creation of Ayushman Bharat Healthy Accounts.
For the migrants - Portability
ABHA makes sure that migrant workers, who are always moving from one place to another, are included as a part of the digital healthcare ecosystem. Some of these individuals may be suffering from grave health concerns, but while travelling from one place to another, they may be neglecting their health or discontinuing their treatment.
Having an ABHA ID creates a unified digital health record that enables access to services and health records across the nation. ABHA also integrates with healthcare systems and facilities across various states. This ensures that individuals who are always on the go never miss out on continued care due to barriers like documentation, location, etc.
Therefore, opening an ABHA account and creating an ID automatically brings everyone under the aegis of India’s goal for Universal Health Coverage.
For the elderly - Convenience
Individuals, especially elderly people, find it difficult to manage piles of documents, including prescriptions, lab reports, vaccination records, etc., and carry them around every time they go for a doctor's appointment. Missing documents and lab reports may also lead to duplication of tests, further adding to the stress and financial burden. Missing documents may also misguide healthcare professionals as they remain in the dark about the individual's entire medical history.
Creating an ABHA ID has made it easy for them to create a repository of all medical information that is stored digitally. This information can be accessed by healthcare professionals upon the consent of the individual. Specialists can, therefore, browse through the entire medical history of an individual before proceeding with the treatment.
Not only this, but ABHA also has a provision for teleconsultation. This makes it convenient for senior citizens or patients with restricted mobility to seek expert consultation right from the convenience of home.
For the economically marginalised - Affordability
Alongside health records, an individual's ABHA ID is also linked with the health insurance schemes and benefits that they are entitled to receive. During a medical emergency, patients may often find it difficult to produce their insurance-related documents on time. Some may even be unaware of the concessions and benefits they are entitled to and whether they will receive the treatment at a subsidised rate. This makes it difficult for them to bear the expenses of the treatment.
Integrating an ABHA ID with the various health-related schemes and insurance plans makes it easy for the hospital authorities to identify the concessions that a patient should receive and reduces out-of-pocket costs. This is, therefore, a convenient option for the economically marginalised sections of society, who would otherwise have to resort to substandard health care services.
Conclusion
The Indian healthcare ecosystem is gradually evolving to attain the 3As, namely Affordability, Accessibility, and Availability, and ABHA is contributing greatly to it. The National Health Authority, which oversees ABDM, has recently signed an MoU with IIT Kanpur to further facilitate this positive change through the use of AI. The collection of health-related data and leveraging AI to analyse them can potentially improve accuracy, leading to better health outcomes.
However, patients can remain assured that no data will ever be used without their permission. The sharing of medical records and data, even among stakeholders, is entirely consent-based. This ensures complete privacy and security of data.
FAQs
1. How can India achieve universal health coverage?
India can achieve universal health coverage by leveraging the Ayushman Bharat Health Account. ABHA can help promote digitisation, integrate healthcare services, ensure financial affordability, and enhance accessibility to strengthen healthcare infrastructure.
2. Why is ABHA important?
ABHA is important as it allows easy access to a patient’s medical information, lab reports, prescriptions, and medical history. This helps in streamlining healthcare services and enables interoperability among different stakeholders.
3. Can we get free treatment with an ABHA card?
No, the ABHA card does not offer free treatment to patients. However, patients can link their insurance plans with their ABHA ID. This helps hospitals access information about the insurance and help patients settle claims accordingly.
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