VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has emerged as the top State in the country in creating Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA), according to Director of Secondary Health Chakradhar Babu. He announced that ABH accounts have been created for 4.84 crore people (96% of the State’s population).
He further said details of 65,242 health professionals have been registered in the Health Professional Registry (HPR), while 26,083 hospitals have been listed in the Health Facility Registry (HFR), covering all categories of government hospitals.
Among those who received ABHA numbers, 7.50 crore electronic health records have already been linked. With ABHA, patients’ past treatment details, lab reports, and other medical information can be digitally stored and accessed with their consent, even across States.
The announcement was made at a special conference held in Mangalagiri on Friday, where representatives of the Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR), Bengaluru presented findings from a study conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
The study revealed that while digitisation has begun in other States, Andhra Pradesh has taken a clear lead. ABHA creation was achieved through door-to-door surveys under the NCD programme.
Speaking to the media after the conference, Chakradhar Babu, along with State ABDM Coordinator B Veera Rao and IIHMR representatives, explained that ABHA numbers, with 14 digits, will function like Aadhaar in the health sector.
He noted that AP has linked 7.50 crore electronic health records with ABHA and, for its leadership in digital health, received Rs 22 crore incentive from the Centre since April 2023, in addition to the regular budget allocation of Rs 18.5 crore.
The IIHMR study compared India’s progress with countries like Rwanda, Ghana, Brazil and Finland. Finland began health digitization 20 years ago, while India started only four years ago. Within India, Andhra Pradesh was found to be ahead due to strong monitoring by senior officials, training programmes, incentive payments, and investment in digital infrastructure.
The State has provided computers to 1,900 health facilities, including Ayushman Health Mandirs, PHCs, UPHCs, secondary care hospitals, and teaching hospitals.
Veera Rao said public awareness about ABHA will take time, but under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s vision, digitalisation in healthcare will bring significant benefits.