The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is an initiative launched by the Indian government with the aim of improving the accessibility of healthcare services across the country. This mission was created to achieve the goals outlined in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017, which is focused on ensuring that all citizens have access to good quality healthcare without facing financial hardship.
The National Health Policy 2017 has outlined several goals, including the attainment of the highest possible level of health and wellbeing for all citizens at all ages through a preventive and promotive health care orientation, and universal access to good quality health care services. To achieve these goals, the National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB) was created, which lays out the building blocks and an action plan to comprehensively and holistically implement digital health.
The ABDM was conceptualized with the intention of achieving the targets outlined in the NHP and NDHB. The mission aims to develop the necessary ecosystems to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country and bridge the existing gap among different stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem through digital highways.
Objectives of ABDM
The objectives of the ABDM are as follows:
- Establish state-of-the-art digital health systems: The ABDM aims to establish digital health systems that are equipped with the latest technology to manage core digital health data and infrastructure required for its seamless exchange.
- Adopt open standards: The mission focuses on enforcing the adoption of open standards by all national digital health stakeholders, ensuring the seamless exchange of health data between different stakeholders.
- Personal health records: The ABDM aims to create a system of personal health records, based on international standards, that is easily accessible to individuals, healthcare professionals, and service providers, based on the individual’s informed consent. This will allow healthcare professionals to have access to a patient’s complete medical history, enabling them to provide more appropriate and effective health interventions.
- Cooperative federalism: The ABDM will adopt the best principles of cooperative federalism while working in tandem with the constituent authorities to ensure that the mission is implemented effectively across the country.
- Enterprise-class health applications: The mission aims to promote the development of enterprise-class health application systems, with a special focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for health.
Opportunities for ABDM
The ABDM has several opportunities that will help it achieve its goals, including:
- Existing digital infrastructure: The current digital infrastructure in the form of Aadhaar, Unified Payments Interface and the wide reach of the Internet and mobile phones (JAM Trinity) provides a strong platform for establishing the building blocks of the ABDM.
- Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY): AB-PMJAY has successfully leveraged the existing public digital infrastructure to provide end-to-end services through an information technology (IT) platform.
- Emerging technologies: Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things (IoT), blockchain and cloud computing open up new areas of opportunities for facilitating a more holistic digital health ecosystem.
Benefits of ABDM
The ABDM is expected to bring several benefits to the healthcare sector in India, including:
- Improved efficiency and effectiveness: The scheme is expected to significantly improve the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of health service delivery across different verticals.
- Expanded scope of choice: The ABDM will expand the scope of choice for patients to opt for either private or public hospitals, improving their access to healthcare services.
- Better access to medical history: Healthcare professionals across disciplines will have better access to a patient’s medical history, enabling them to provide more appropriate and effective health interventions.
- Reduced out-of-pocket expenditure: The ABDM is expected to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure incurred by the public, making healthcare services more affordable for all.
- Better quality data: Better quality of macro and micro-level data will enable advanced analytics, usage of health biomarkers and better preventive healthcare. This will lead to a reduction in mortality rates.
- Promotion of telemedicine: The ABDM will promote the use of telemedicine, bringing health-related benefits closer to the people.
MCQs on Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
- What is the main objective of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission?
A. To improve the healthcare system in India
B. To provide financial assistance to poor people
C. To increase digitalization in the healthcare sector
D. To promote digital literacy among citizens
- What are the key components of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission?
A. Health Information Exchange (HIE)
B. Health Management Information System (HMIS)
C. Electronic Health Records (EHR)
D. All of the above
- How does Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission benefit citizens of India?
A. By improving access to quality healthcare services
B. By increasing transparency and accountability in the healthcare sector
C. By promoting digital health literacy among citizens
D. All of the above
