Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) managed by the National Health Authority (NHA) has introduced measures that can bring every Indian citizen into India’s digital healthcare ecosystem. Ayushman Bharat Health Account, an important component of the ABDM, assigns a 14-digit unique code to all the users that can help streamline various medical facilities for them.
In this article, we will discuss how ABHA can empower rural India by providing them with better healthcare facilities.
Healthcare Challenges in Rural India
Some of the prominent healthcare-related problems that are prevalent in the rural parts of India are discussed below:
Shortage of Healthcare Facility Providers
Inadequate roads and poor connectivity in rural India make it difficult for healthcare professionals to reach the place and offer the services that are required regularly. In addition, young medical practitioners are migrating to larger cities in search of better opportunities for themselves, causing a crisis of skilled medical professionals to care for people’s health in rural India.
The infrastructure of rural healthcare is mainly managed by the National Rural Health Mission. At the community level, accredited social health activists or ASHAs disseminate health information, often through home visits, and facilitate access to health care.
Lack of Infrastructure or Adequate Equipment
Alongside the lack of skilled human resources, the infrastructure of the rural healthcare setup is also inadequate. Some villages do not even have the basic healthcare infrastructure such as hospitals or primary health centres and other equipment needed to treat patients.
Patients, therefore, have to travel long distances for experts to attend to their health issues. In case of emergencies, the time lost in doing so can have adverse effects on the patient's health.
Rural hospitals may also not have enough infrastructure for pregnant women, like a labour and delivery room, a maternity ward, or a neonatal care unit. This causes the women to resort to non-institutional modes of delivery, with nobody to attend to the mother and child in case of an emergency.
Alongside these, there are a number of socio-economic factors in the rural parts of India that stand in the way of people’s smooth access to medical facilities. Factors like poverty, illiteracy, lack of awareness, cultural beliefs and superstitions, and gender inequality also prohibit certain segments of the population from accessing timely healthcare facilities.
How ABHA Revolutionises Healthcare in Rural India
The penetration of smartphones and internet connectivity in the remotest pockets of India has enabled the adoption of digital healthcare management techniques. Registering with ABHA allows registered citizens to gain complete control over their healthcare journey.
ABHA users can access various components of the digital healthcare ecosystem, like quick access to medical records, easily finding doctors, teleconsultations, etc., through a 14-digit identification code.
Let us discuss in detail how ABHA is promoting inclusivity in delivering healthcare facilities and empowering healthcare in rural India:
Improved Access to Specialists and Healthcare Facilities
The unavailability of healthcare professionals is a concern in the rural parts of India. An ABHA ID helps bridge this gap by allowing users to find nearby specialists and healthcare facilities where they can go for check-ups, lab tests, etc.
ABHA does not recommend a specific healthcare solution for a patient. However, it presents a list of options available in its Health Professionals Registry and Health Facility Registry for patients to choose from. Patients can avail various modes of treatment facilities such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) based on their preference.
Not only this, but ABHA’s integration with e- Sanjeevani another free telemedicine service offered by the Government of India, allows citizens to access healthcare digitally through teleconsultation. This is a major step towards offering healthcare services in areas where geographical limitations persist.
Easier Management of Health Expenses
Managing medical expenses poses immense challenges for people in rural India. They may also be unsure of which document to present at the healthcare facility and end up paying more than they should. Registering with ABHA helps eliminate this problem and facilitates easier expense management.
An ABHA ID helps store all medical records, which include information about insurance and other benefits. Patients can link their ABHA ID to various government and non-government schemes such as Ayushman Bharat. This way, the authorities can access all relevant information and patients can receive the benefits that they are entitled to on time. This not only reduces out-of-pocket expenses but also increases transparency of payments.
Offline Mode
ABHA aims to attain last-mile delivery of healthcare services to ensure that the benefits of ABDM reach every citizen, no matter how remote their location. Many places in rural India have poor internet connectivity. To address this problem, ABHA enables an offline mode of creating ABHA, thereby ensuring that nobody is left out.
Conclusion
Through its integration with ABDM, ABHA has significantly improved healthcare access in rural India by allowing users to upload medical history and insurance records, look for nearby doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities, and settle claims easily.
For increased awareness of the use of ABHA, Desh-ka-Doctor, a health-tech start up started a pilot in Ghaziabad in 2022 where it trained Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), who are the field level healthcare workers, to create ABHA IDs. Owing to their engagement with the communities, they play a significantly important role in bringing the rural communities under the umbrella of the country’s digital healthcare ecosystem.
FAQs
1. How to create an ABHA card offline?
To create an ABHA card offline, go to a registered facility, produce your valid documents that are needed for verification, complete the registration process, verify your identity and submit your form. You will receive your 14-digit ABHA ID.
2. What documents are required for an ABHA card?
To create your ABHA card, you will require proof of your identity and address, bank account details, declaration of medical history, and proof of residence.
3. What are the different kinds of health records that can be viewed in the ABHA mobile application?
The ABHA mobile application displays a patient’s diagnostic reports, notes from OP consultations, prescriptions, discharge summaries, health documents, wellness records, and immunisation records.
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