Context:
Recently, the National Health Authority (NHA) has achieved a milestone of generating over 3 crore tokens for Out-Patient Department (OPD) registrations through the ABHA-based Scan and Share service.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
Dimensions of the Article:
- National Health Authority’s (NHA) Recent Milestone in OPD Registrations
- National Health Authority (NHA)
National Health Authority’s (NHA) Recent Milestone in OPD Registrations
- Achievement: The NHA has successfully generated over 3 crore tokens for Out-Patient Department (OPD) registrations using the ABHA-based Scan and Share service.
- Convenience: This service allows patients to effortlessly register for OPD appointments by scanning a QR code displayed at the OPD registration counter.
- Benefits: It has eliminated the need for patients to wait in long queues for appointments, especially aiding vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pregnant women, and those with mobility challenges.
- Regional Success: Uttar Pradesh has generated the maximum number of tokens, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Jammu and Kashmir.
- Launch: This service was introduced under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in 2022.
- ABHA: ABHA is a unique 14-digit number designed to link all health records of an individual, aiming to create a comprehensive digital health ecosystem and promote the digitisation of healthcare.
National Health Authority (NHA):
- Responsibilities:
- Apex body implementing Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
- Tasked with designing strategy, building technological infrastructure, and implementing the “National Digital Health Mission” to create a National Digital Health Eco-system.
- Evolution and Autonomy:
- Successor of the National Health Agency, reconstituted as the National Health Authority in January 2019.
- Originally functioned as a registered society and transitioned to full functional autonomy.
- Structure and Governance:
- Attached office of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Governed by a Governing Board chaired by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare.
- Headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), holding the rank of Secretary to the Government of India.
- CEO serves as the Ex-Officio Member Secretary of the Governing Board.
- State-Level Implementation:
- Implementation at the State level involves the establishment of State Health Agencies (SHAs) as societies/trusts.
- SHAs are set up by respective States to execute the scheme locally.
