New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the Pradhan Mantri Digital Health Mission (PM-DHM).
While launching the Ayushman Bharat digital mission, PM Modi said: "The drive to strengthen the health facilities of the country, in the last 7 years, is entering a new phase today. This is not an ordinary phase. This is an extraordinary phase."
Under this scheme, now every citizen in India will get a unique 14-digit health identification (ID) number.
The nationwide rollout of the digital Health ID coincides with the National Health Authority (NHA) celebrating the third anniversary of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
PM Modi said the initiative would play a big role in eliminating problems in medical treatment of the poor and middle class.
"Today begins a mission that has the power to bring a revolutionary change in India's health facilities. Via technology, work done by Ayushman Bharat to connect patients with hospitals across the nation is being further expanded and given a strong technology platform," Modi said.
"PM Narendra Modi ji to announce the nationwide rollout of Pradhan Mantri Digital Health Mission on September 27. Under this, a unique digital health ID will be provided to the people, which will contain all the health records of the person," Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had tweeted on Thursday
The ID will be created using an Aadhar Card or the beneficiary's mobile number and will serve as an identifier to pull relevant health records.
This health account will contain details of every test, every disease, the doctors visited, the medicines taken and the diagnosis. This information will be very useful as it is portable and easily accessible even if the patient shifts to a new place and visits a new doctor.
A government official involved in the making of NDHM said the PM-DHM will act as a "one-stop solution" for all healthcare needs of the common man. It aims to develop the necessary backbone to support an integrated digital health infrastructure in the country.