ABDM Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission - NDHM: Revolutionising Indian Healthcare

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is designed to create a strong foundation for India’s integrated digital health infrastructure, enabling seamless healthcare delivery.
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3 mins
20 August 2025

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is an important initiative launched by the Government of India under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. The ABDM full form is Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. It facilitates digital health records of citizens in India. The ABDM aims to provide a comprehensive digital health infrastructure to every citizen of the country, making healthcare more affordable and accessible.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission launched on September 27, 2021, through a virtual meeting aims to link the digital health solutions of hospitals nationwide. This initiative not only simplifies hospital processes but also enhances the quality of life. The digital ecosystem will facilitate services such as virtual consultations and patient consent for healthcare practitioners to access their records. This scheme ensures the security of medical records, preventing the loss of old records, as everything will be stored digitally.

Here's an overview of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), its key features, benefits, and documents required to avail of the scheme.

What is Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)?

ABDM refers to the latest digital initiative under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme aimed at facilitating digital health records of Indian citizens. It creates a digital ecosystem, offering digital health solutions. The ABDM aims to make healthcare services affordable, accessible, and efficient to every citizen of the country. The mission undertakes various measures that support the digitalisation of healthcare services in India.

What is the vision of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission?

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is a game-changing digital initiative aimed at transforming the healthcare sector in India. This ambitious program, launched by the Indian government, seeks to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to every citizen across the country. Let's take a closer look at the vision of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.

  • To ensure that every citizen has access to affordable, high-quality healthcare services.

  • To create a digital and centralised national health infrastructure that is accessible to all.

  • To facilitate a transparent and efficient cashless healthcare system.

  • To create a technology and data driven comprehensive health insurance ecosystem.

Objectives of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)

Here are some key objectives of Ayushman Digital Health Mission:

  • To create a unique health ID for every citizen that will serve as a digital passport for accessing healthcare services across the country.

  • To create a national health stack, a digital infrastructure that will enable the interoperability of health data across different systems and service providers.

  • To enable a cashless and paperless health insurance system that will provide universal health coverage to all citizens.

  • To foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the healthcare sector by leveraging digital technologies and data analytics.

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Key features of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

Here’s a quick look at the key features of ABDM.

Features

Specifications

ABDM health ID

A unique ID for every citizen that contains their health records, lab reports, and prescriptions.

Electronic Medical Records (EMR)

Store all medical records in digitised format and you can access the information from anywhere in the country.

Teleconsultation

ABDM facilitates remote consultations with doctors using telemedicine technology.

Online pharmacy

ABDM promotes online pharmacies, making medicines available to people remotely.

Health information exchange

All healthcare providers can exchange medical reports, ensuring seamless access to healthcare services, irrespective of the location.


Key benefits of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) revolutionizes the Indian healthcare system by providing a seamless and integrated digital health infrastructure. One of the foremost benefits is the ease with which citizens can access their health records. Here are the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission benefits:

Portable health records
Patients can securely access their complete medical history anytime, anywhere, and instantly share digitally signed e-records with healthcare professionals. This feature proves especially crucial during medical emergencies.

Better coordination among providers
Shared digital health records enable doctors across different specialties to collaborate seamlessly, ensuring continuous and well-informed care for patients visiting multiple centers.

Simplified appointment booking

Through ABDM, citizens can search for doctors or healthcare facilities nearby and book appointments online, with integrated payment options. This saves both time and money.

Stronger privacy and security

Given the sensitive nature of health data, advanced encryption and consent-based access protocols are in place to ensure ethical use. Patients remain in control and fully informed about how their data is accessed.

Data-driven healthcare insights

Anonymised and aggregated health data can be leveraged by institutions to design targeted interventions and optimize resource allocation, ultimately improving overall population health outcomes.

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) Rollout Strategy

The ABDM National Health Authority has outlined a structured rollout plan, beginning with pilot projects and gradually expanding nationwide for inclusive healthcare access.

Six initial pilot projects

ABDM was first tested through six pilot projects, ensuring robust evaluation before large-scale implementation.

Phased launch starting with metro cities

The mission began in metro cities, leveraging strong digital infrastructure to establish a scalable healthcare model.

Expansion to underserved locations

Gradually, ABDM extended its reach to rural and underserved areas, ensuring equitable healthcare access across regions.

Population-scale 65,000 health facility onboarding

Over 65,000 health facilities are being onboarded to create a truly interoperable, population-scale digital healthcare ecosystem.

 

Documents required to register for ABDM

To register for ABDM, one needs to provide the following documents and information:

  • Aadhaar Card number along with their mobile number
  • Unique ABDM health ID to access digital health records

What are the building blocks of ABDM?

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is built on a strong foundation of digital infrastructure that includes several building blocks. Let us take a closer look at some of the key building blocks of ABDM.

Health ID: The creation of a unique health ID for every citizen is a key component of ABDM. This ID serves as a digital passport for accessing healthcare services across the country.

Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR): ABDM includes the creation of a registry of healthcare professionals that will enable better management of human resources in the healthcare sector.

Health Facility Register (HFR): The HFR is a comprehensive database of all healthcare facilities in the country, enabling citizens to locate healthcare services easily.

ABHA mobile app (PHR): The Personal Health Record (PHR) is a mobile app that enables citizens to manage their health records, book appointments, and access other healthcare services.

Overall, Ayushman Bharat Digital mission is a crucial health initiative that intends to make healthcare services more efficient and accessible to millions of citizens in India.

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Frequently asked questions

When was Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission launched?

Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) on August 27, 2021. It is an initiative to digitalise healthcare services and records in India.

What is the ABHA number?

ABHA number refers to a unique identification number provided to beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. The government generates the ABHA number based on a person's Aadhaar number. It is used to avail treatment facilities under the scheme.

What are the benefits of an ABHA card?

Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) card serves as a health insurance card for the beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat scheme. It enables them to avail of medical treatment at any of the empanelled hospitals across India without any payment. The card also provides access to free medicines, diagnostic tests, and consultation services.

What is the difference between Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and Pradhan Mantri Digital Health Mission?

The central government launched Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and Pradhan Mantri Digital Health Mission to ease healthcare access for citizens. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission aims to digitise health records and make healthcare services more accessible. Pradhan Mantri Digital Health Mission focuses on creating a comprehensive health information architecture. This creates a national digital health ecosystem to provide integrated health services to all Indians.

What are the components of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)?

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has five components.

1. Health ID or unique ID
2. Digi Doctor or telemedicine component
3. Health Facility Registry
4. Personal Health Record (PHR)
5. National Digital Health Mission enables seamless sharing of health records across public and private healthcare providers

What is a PHR address?

PHR or Personal Health Record Address is a unique and secure digital address that is assigned to individuals to access their PHR. It will be linked to a Health ID number and will allow individuals to access their health records and other health services through a digital platform.

What is the NDHM scheme?

The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) is a healthcare initiative launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It aims to create a digital healthcare ecosystem that will include the creation of a unique health ID for each individual, a digital repository of health records, and the establishment of Health Information Exchanges.

What is the full form of ABDM?

The full form of ABDM is Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.

Who launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission?

The Honourable Prime Minister of India launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.

What is not covered under Ayushman Bharat Yojana?

Given below is the list of topics not covered under Ayushman Bharat Yojana:

  • Out-Patient Department (OPD) expenses
  • Drug rehabilitation
  • Cosmetic surgeries
  • Fertility treatments
  • Individual diagnostics
  • Organ transplant
Is ABDM compulsory?

No, participation in the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is voluntary. Citizens can choose whether or not to create and maintain digital health records under the ABDM framework.

What is the purpose of the Ayushman Bharat Mission?

The Ayushman Bharat Mission aims to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to all citizens of India. It focuses on reducing out-of-pocket expenses, improving health infrastructure, and ensuring universal health coverage through initiatives like Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).

What is the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Grievance Portal?

The ABDM Grievance Portal is an online platform launched by the National Health Authority to address issues and complaints related to digital health services. It ensures transparency, timely redressal, and better user experience for citizens, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders.

What is the mission of India’s Digital Health initiative?

India’s Digital Health Mission, under ABDM, aims to build a unified digital health ecosystem. Its mission is to create secure digital health IDs, enable seamless exchange of medical records, and strengthen healthcare delivery through technology-driven solutions.

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