Do you feel extra weighted carrying all the documents related to your past medical records every time you choose to visit a doctor near you? To help such people, the government of India introduced a digital health ID card or ABHA card where people can digitally store all their medical documents. There is always a risk of carrying all the original documents everywhere we travel to see a doctor.

If those medical records get damaged, they wouldn't be replaceable. However, using the ABHA card, you can easily ask the doctors to go through all your medical records stored in them, thereby eliminating the need to carry any physical documents. The ABHA health card is linked to your Aadhar number, which makes the medical records accessible and secure with the help of a unique ID. The card stores your medical records along with the details of previous doctor visits, medicines prescribed, and lab tests carried out.

The ABHA card is useful for everyone regardless of whether they are permanent citizens or are travelling to another city. It also helps medical practitioners as they can access the patient's medical history when needed. The ABHA card helps better manage health records and ensures that all the documents are safe and secure. This card can be used to store the medical records of an individual or a family, depending on their requirement. It also allows authorised personnel to access the information.

Overall, the ABHA health card is a convenient and secure way to store all your medical records digitally. It helps reduce the hassle of carrying physical documents and ensures that all your health records are kept safely. It is helpful for individuals and medical practitioners, making it a great way to manage health records.

Let's explore these benefits in detail.

Benefits of ABHA Health Card

Abha Card benefits individuals, medical practitioners, and even health insurance companies. Here are a few of its advantages:

• Ease of accessibility- The first and foremost benefit of using an ABHA health card would be the ease with which you access all your medical documents. People have long been more associated with carrying physical copies of their past medical records to different places. But, after introducing the ABHA health card, anyone can easily display their medical information to doctors with a few clicks as necessary.
• Ability to share- Sometimes the doctors need to go through all the previous medical records of their patients. It must determine which medicine or treatment could be ideal for them. Therefore, if you are an ABHA health card holder, you can easily share all your related medical documents with the hospital or clinic. They must check and inform you regarding which treatment can cure the problems persisting in your body.
• Chance to hand pick good quality doctors- When you use a health card ABHA issued, the chances of finding good quality professional doctors would be much higher than the other patients not registered under this scheme. You could access the Healthcare professional registry. It is said to preserve all the active doctors working in their respective fields.
• Finding the best place for treatment- The place where you are looking to visit the doctor plays a huge role in the quality of treatment you would get from them. Suppose the hospital you are looking for suitable treatment is known for charging exorbitant fees from their patients.

  In that case, it would be best for you to find hospitals or clinics that can assure top-quality treatment to their patients at the lowest cost possible. Moreover, suppose you are an ABHA health card owner. You can quickly go through the health facility registry to find which medical facilities can cater to all your needs at the minimum price possible.

• Transparency of records- The ABHA health card also helps ensure that all medical documents remain transparent and secure. An individual can easily access these documents when required, and medical practitioners can access the records when needed. All medical papers are stored in a secure environment. It also helps to ensure that all the data remains safe and confidential.

How to Apply for an ABHA Health Card?

To apply for an ABHA health card successfully, you would need to follow all the steps that are mentioned below in this article: -

1. In the first step of ABHA health card registration, you need to visit the official website of ABHA to kick-start the application process.
2. On entering the website, you can create your ABHA now that you must click to proceed to the next step.
3. On completing step 2, click the option generate via Aadhaar, where you must correctly fill in your Aadhaar number or virtual ID.
4. After you have filled up all the details as per required, click on the I agree on option, put the correct captcha as displayed, and finish it by clicking on the submit button.
5. Once you click the submit button, an OTP will be sent to your smartphone, which you need to enter and verify your phone number.
6. On doing the above steps, you will be shown the details of your ABHA health card, which you need to go through and check if all the details mentioned are correct.
7. Once you complete all the steps mentioned above, you can download the ABHA health card for future purposes.

Coverage And Services Offered By Abha Health Card

Numerous coverage and services are covered under the ABHA health card, which can benefit the holders of it. However, we have made a listicle if you need an idea regarding that coverage and services. You can go through it to understand everything about it.

• One of the most effective facilities the ABHA health card provides patients is the assurance of treatment. This is under the AYUSH scheme launched by India's government. AYUSH stands for Ayurvedic, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. If you are looking for treatment under any of those programs, you can avail yourself through them free of cost.
• The second most crucial service of the ABHA health card is access to the Health professional registry. It provides this to patients registered under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Account scheme. You can easily find doctors all over India that match the qualities you are trying to find in them.
• Lastly, in terms of coverage, you can access a health facility registry with all the government and private hospitals or clinics listed under it. If you can pick one out adequately from all the given choices, then the quality of the treatment you would receive might be better than expected.

Conclusion

Our country is going through some rapid digitalisation in all sectors. Medicare was the only one still enjoying a digitalised system's benefits. That is why the government of India decided to launch the ABHA full form Ayushmann Bharat Digital Health Account scheme. Furthermore, it would make the work of doctors and health workers much more manageable than compared to the time before.

Moreover, a considerable number of patients get piled up every day with new sets of problems. It becomes a bigger headache for them to check all the past medical records one by one physically. Here the chances of losing the documents are also higher. However, if you hold an ABHA health card, such cases wouldn't be an issue if you hold an ABHA health card.

FAQs

Is Aadhaar mandatory to create an ABHA number?

No, using Aadhaar to generate the ABHA number is not mandatory. Instead, you can use your mobile number to create the unique ABHA number.

How long will the registration process take?

The complete registration of the ABHA number can be completed within 10 minutes. This is once your mobile number or Aadhaar number is authenticated.

Is there any need to submit physical documents?

No, there would be no need to submit physical documents to register the ABHA number. The whole process is paperless and can be carried out from your home.

Who is eligible for ABHA?

Only Indian citizens are eligible for ABHA registration. Moreover, that person must have an annual income of fewer than 2.5 lakhs. Or they would be automatically stripped of the scheme.

Who can access my health information?

No one would be able to access the health information that is stored in your ABHA health card. Moreover, it would be completely secure and confidential until you decide to share the details with someone you know. But till then, only the owner of the ABHA health card can handle everything that gets stored in it.