New Delhi: The National Health Authority (NHA) celebrated a significant achievement today as its innovative ABHA-based Scan and Share service, launched under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), crossed the milestone of generating over 2 Crore tokens for Out-Patient-Department (OPD) registrations. This paperless service, introduced in October 2022, has transformed the patient experience, particularly benefitting vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with mobility challenges, by eliminating the need to wait in long queues for appointments.
The Scan and Share service, operating in over 3,860 healthcare facilities across 465 districts in 33 States and Union Territories, allows patients to register for OPD appointments by scanning a QR code at the registration counter, instantly sharing their ABHA profile.
Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Jammu & Kashmir have emerged as leaders in the adoption of this digital healthcare initiative, showcasing their commitment to leveraging technology for citizen welfare. The ABDM Public Dashboard provides insights into the service’s utilization, with notable usage recorded across AIIMS in Delhi, Bhopal, Raipur, and Bhubaneswar.
Among the OPD tokens generated using ABHA, 75% are by first-time users, and 22% return for subsequent visits, emphasizing widespread adoption and usefulness. Interestingly, over 25% of users are above 45 years, signifying the service’s simplicity and convenience for routine OPD registrations.
The CEO of NHA highlighted the significance of digital healthcare services in promoting accessible and high-quality healthcare. The ‘Scan and Share’ service, part of ABDM’s efforts, ensures accurate data entry, enhances efficiency, and empowers healthcare providers with comprehensive patient information.
NHA encourages adoption through financial incentives via ABDM’s Digital Health Incentive Scheme (DHIS) for ‘Scan and Share’ transactions and electronic health record generation. The NHA plans to implement the ‘Scan and Share’ service in pharmacies and extend it to diagnostic laboratory centers. Upcoming services like ‘Scan and Send’ and ‘Scan and Pay’ will allow patients to conveniently share health records and make payments directly through the app, enhancing accessibility and convenience in healthcare services.
The success of the ABHA-based Scan and Share service reflects the commitment of Ayushman Bharat in leveraging technology to create a healthcare system accessible to every individual, empowering them in their health journey.