 "Digital OPD scheme sees over 10 million registrations since inception")
The National Health Authority (NHA) has said that it has seen more than 10 million out-patient department (OPD) registrations under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) since its inception.
The service is currently available at 2,600 health centres across 419 districts in 33 states and Union Territories.
Speaking about the significance of this digital service, RS Sharma, chief executive officer (CEO), NHA, said that ABDM aims to add ease and efficiency to healthcare delivery.
The scan and share service at OPD counters is a simple tech intervention, which is helping close to 100,000 patients save time spent in hospital queues on a daily basis.
This service, launched in October 2022, is a paperless one, which helps patients scan QR codes placed at OPD registration counters and share their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) profile for instant registration.
Uttar Pradesh, with 3.74 million tokens generated, is the top state in implementing the digital OPD service for patients. It is followed by Karnataka (1.85 million tokens) and Jammu and Kashmir (1.19 million tokens).
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Data for October 2023 shows that the highest usage of the token service was by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. It was followed by AIIMS Raipur and AIIMS Bhopal.
Fifteen of the top 26 healthcare facilities/hospitals where the digital OPD registration scheme was implemented are located in UP.
“With an intention to alleviate the pain points of patients when they access healthcare services, we plan to extend this service for pharmacy counters and laboratories. The ABHA-based registrations would also give patients digital access to their prescriptions, pharmacy slips and diagnostic reports,” Sharma added.
8,000 out of 12,500 facilities operational: Ayush secy
Ayush secretary Rajesh Kotecha on Tuesday highlighted the achievements of his ministry at a curtain raiser, ahead of the 8th Ayurveda Day to be celebrated on November 10.
“Of the 12,500 Ayush Health and Wellness Centres, 8,000 have been operationalised last year,” he said, adding that, till date, the centres have seen a footfall of 84.2 million patients across the country.
Kotecha added that the Ayush manufacturing industry has grown eightfold from $3 billion to $24 billion in the last nine years.