Patients no longer need to carry previous prescriptions from the doctor. Now, they will only need to keep a digital ABHA card with them.

Once the patient goes to the doctor for consultation, the doctor will prescribe medicines after reviewing the digital card. This card will be known as the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA). The new system will operate under the supervision of the National Health Authority. The digital card will eliminate the inconvenience of carrying multiple prescriptions. It will be rolled out in February.

Minister of health and family welfare, Mukesh Mahaling, said, “We will introduce the National Digital Health Mission. It will enable both patients and doctors to access medical records in one account. It works like a digital platform that stores all medical records.”

The minister further said, “The patient will be able to store all their medical data on the card. Just as we operate different digital cards through QR codes, it will function similarly. The National Digital Health Mission (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission) will ensure the secure digital storage and retrieval of medical data.”

The Mohan Majhi government has also decided to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which had previously been opposed by the Naveen Patnaik government. The Naveen Patnaik government had its health scheme, Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, which was later renamed the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana by the Majhi government.

“People can apply for the ABHA card online. It will be integrated with the Ayushman Bharat scheme. We will distribute the ABHA card to beneficiaries by February,” the health minister said.