Irfan TrambooSrinagar, Sept 26: The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and the State Health Agency (SHA) in J&K received prestigious awards today at the Arogya Manthan-2023 event held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, recognizing their contributions to digital health interventions, ensuring the seamless and effective delivery of healthcare services to the residents of the Union Territory.Officials told Excelsior that the ABDM J&K secured the third position for its exceptional work in generating ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts) and Scan & Share IDs within J&K. Simultaneously, the State Health Agency was honoured for ‘Highest Ayushman Card Creation’, ensuring seamless patient care within the Union Territory under the AB PM-JAY scheme.On the closing day of the event, the Union Health Minister, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya awarded the top-performing States and Union Territories in various categories. Among the various award categories of AB-PMJAY, the award for “Highest Ayushman Card Creation” was earned by Assam, Nagaland, and J&K.Bhupinder Kumar, the CEO of SHA, and Dr. Shafqat Khan, representing ABDM J&K, accepted the awards during the event. The recognition is particularly significant as both flagship schemes of the National Health Authority (NHA) have achieved important milestones.The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) celebrated its fifth anniversary on September 23, 2018, marking five years since its implementation. Meanwhile, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) marked its second anniversary since its launch on September 27, 2021.Addressing the gathering, Dr. Mandaviya remarked that the two days of Arogya Manthan provided an invaluable platform for discussing crucial matters concerning the provision of high-quality healthcare services to the nation’s most underprivileged and vulnerable citizens.He emphasized, “When PM-JAY was initiated, health wasn’t a top priority for many. However, today, we have made significant progress, surpassing the milestone of more than 5.6 crore hospital admissions, amounting to over Rs. 69,000 crore. We can clearly witness the transformative impact of AB PM-JAY.”Bhupinder Kumar, Secretary Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department, who also serves as the CEO of SHA in J&K, described the award as a matter of great prestige. He stated, “We are competing on a national level, ensuring quality healthcare without hassles for the people of J&K, by making it seamless and robust.”Dr. Shafqat Khan, Additional Mission Director of ABDM J&K, emphasized the significance of digital healthcare for the future and their commitment to ensuring the flawless and seamless delivery of healthcare services. He stated, “It has the quality of timeliness and promptness. We will continue working towards becoming the leader in digital healthcare interventions in the country.”Officials informed that the AB PM-JAY scheme continues to redefine success every year, achieving new milestones, including over 5 crore hospital admissions. With a strong IT infrastructure, streamlined processes, monitoring mechanisms, outreach efforts, and robust fraud control systems, it now covers more than 24 crore beneficiaries across the country.“Since its launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ABDM has been successful in building an efficient, interoperable digital health ecosystem with active participation from both the public and private sectors. ABDM has created 43 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) and linked 28 crore health records,” officials stated.
