Ayushman Bharat’s digital mission orientation provides in-depth knowledge of the building blocks of ABDM
ABDM emphasizes interoperability and single source of truth while making healthcare services accessible to all Indian citizens
The National Health Authority (NHA) held a two-day Orientation Workshop for Directors/Joint Directors at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay on 10-11 March. The workshop aimed to outline the key components of ABDM and address the challenges faced by States in implementation.
Dr. RS Sharma, CEO of the National Health Authority, welcomed the workshop participants and congratulated them for participating in a national mission to revolutionize the health sector in India. He discussed the existing digital public goods and the win-win situation for players in the health sector.
ABDM emphasizes interoperability and single source of truth while making healthcare services accessible to all Indian citizens. Dr. Sharma also presented the Unified Health Interface (UHI) providing a new path for the healthcare industry by ensuring interoperability and ease of access for service providers. He drew parallels with UPI to simplify UHI and explained the benefits and use of UHI.
He informed that the Union Cabinet has approved the budget and therefore the workshop is the right time to learn more about ABDM and create history by implementing it in the States.
The welcome speech was followed by a presentation by Dr. Praveen Gedam, Mission Director, ABDM and Addl. CEO, National Health Authority. Dr. Gedam described the architecture of the ABDM, recommendations for the HMIS, actions to be taken by States and answered questions from participants regarding the vision, mission, objectives and strategy of the ABDM. This helped participants gain confidence in ABDM and understand the importance of creating registries of health professionals and facilities.
During the two-day workshop, different aspects of ABDM, Ayushman Bharat Health Account, ABHA App (formerly known as PHR Record App), Healthcare Professional Registry ( HPR), Healthcare Facility Registry (HFR), Sandbox, UHI, Legal Standards, Healthcare Data Retention Policy, etc. has been discussed in detail.
The participants were equipped with sufficient knowledge of ABDM to implement the same in the states, starting with creating registries and generating ABHA numbers and moving them forward with integration and interoperability.
