Gurugram health department urges public to register for ABHA IDs

The initiative is part of an extensive exercise for mandatory record keeping of health reports to be implemented in the coming months, according to health department officials.

The district health department has rolled out QR codes to fill forms for Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs at all health facilities, including government-run hospitals, officials said on Friday.The initiative is part of an extensive exercise for mandatory record keeping of health reports to be implemented in the coming months, according to health department officials.

Officials said that Gurugram is among the fastest adopters of the unified digital health record linked to Aadhar IDs.

Dr Alka Singh, civil surgeon and chief medical officer (CMO) of Gurugram, said that the 14-digit unique identifier number will be used at healthcare centres, polyclinics, and public health units (PHCs) to access medical records of patients. “Residents who have not created ABHA IDs have been encouraged to fill a form by scanning the QR codes. As part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) launched in 2021, each residents’ health data will be verified at one place,” Singh said.

To be sure, QR codes are placed at outpatient departments (OPDs) of civil hospital in Sector 10a, sub-division hospitals at Sohna and Pataudi, polyclinic in Sector 31, and urban public health centres (PHCs). Residents will be able to fetch their personal details in e-forms directed through Aadhaar and Driving License. Manual options to fill forms will be available for residents with no smartphones.

According to Dr Shalini Chopra, deputy civil surgeon, many patients lose track of their old medical reports, making the diagnosis difficult. “For faster and paperless consultations, aggregated data will help hospitals track diseases to make early diagnosis,” Chopra said.

Officials said that Gurugram is among the fastest adopters of the unified digital health record linked to Aadhar IDs. “With over 1.2 million ABHA registrations for a population of 2.5 million, the district ranks the first spot in Haryana. We are expecting the remaining residents to soon create ABHA IDs,” Singh added.

According to officials, private hospitals are being encouraged to link patient health records digitally. “The district will soon enable e-prescriptions through teleconsultations, further helping in streamlining patient load at hospitals,” a senior official said, requesting anonymity.