State-Level Workshop on ABDM Held to Promote Digital Health Services

Chandigarh, September 3 – Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Haryana, Dr. Sumita Misra said the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is an important initiative that is giving a new direction to healthcare delivery in the country. The Mission is not limited to creating a digital health infrastructure; it aims to develop a trusted and seamless ecosystem between patients and healthcare providers, where health information can be accessed securely and better coordination among different healthcare institutions can be ensured.

She said the success of ABDM will be possible only when the private healthcare sector, along with the public sector, actively adopts the Mission as a shared responsibility.

Dr Sumita Misra was speaking on Thursday at a State-level workshop on the ABDM Model District and healthcare institutions, held at Apparel House, Sector 44, Gurugram.

Dr Sumita Misra said registration of government hospitals and doctors under ABDM in Haryana is nearly complete, but there is a need to further enhance the participation of private hospitals, healthcare institutions and healthcare professionals. She said the objective of the State-level workshop is not merely to disseminate information, but to bring all stakeholders associated with the health sector onto a common platform, understand their concerns and practical challenges, and find solutions to them.

She said ABDM will become an integral part of healthcare delivery in the coming years and health institutions should, therefore, prepare themselves for the digital ecosystem promptly. Increasing the use of digital technology to provide better healthcare services to patients is the need of the hour. Better coordination among all concerned departments, healthcare institutions, doctors and technology partners is essential to achieve this objective.

Dr. Sumita Misra said district-level workshops will be organised across Haryana over the next two months. Through these workshops, efforts will be made to bring healthcare institutions at the local level onto the ABDM platform, increase the adoption of digital health services and resolve implementation-related issues on the ground. She directed the ABDM Haryana team to prepare a detailed action plan in this regard.

She particularly appealed to private hospitals and doctors not to view ABDM merely as a government initiative, but to adopt it as a shared responsibility for improving healthcare services. She said the wider the adoption of the digital health ecosystem, the greater the benefits for patients, while also promoting transparency and coordination in healthcare delivery.

Dr Sumita Misra said Haryana has made significant progress under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. More than 1.92 crore ABHA IDs have been created in the State so far, covering approximately 65 per cent of Haryana’s estimated population. She said the government’s focus now is not only on expanding coverage but also on ensuring effective and meaningful utilisation of digital health services.

She said around 98 per cent of public health facilities in the State have been registered on the Health Facility Registry, while registration of more than 90 per cent of the targeted government doctors on the Healthcare Professional Registry has been completed.

Dr Sumita Misra also called upon hospitals associated with Ayushman Bharat to accord special priority to maternal and child health. She said issues such as the Maternal Mortality Ratio, Infant Mortality Rate and Sex Ratio at Birth are not confined to the Health Department alone, but are directly linked to the future of society. Healthcare institutions and doctors, besides providing treatment, should remain sensitive to these social challenges and discharge their responsibilities accordingly.

Dr Sumita Misra expressed confidence that the State and district-level workshops will further strengthen ABDM at the grassroots and contribute significantly towards providing citizens in Haryana with better, accessible and integrated digital health services.

Director General, Health Services, Haryana, Dr Manish Bansal; State Mission Director, ABDM Haryana, Dr Virender Yadav; Chief Executive Officer, National Health Authority, Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal; Chief Executive Officer, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Dr. Manoj; Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and Mission Director, ABDM, Sh. Kiran Gopal Vaska; Director, National Health Authority, Dr. Pankaj Arora; Civil Surgeon, Gurugram, Dr. Lokveer Singh; Sh. Gagandeep from the National Health Authority; and other officers shared information and views on various aspects relating to the progress of ABDM, the Model District initiative, digital health services and integration of the Health Management Information System.

Presentations were also made by model health institutions on the adoption of ABDM and promotion of digital health services.