15-day deadline issued; ABHA registration process for patients explained
New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a notice directing all medical colleges and institutions to integrate the Health Management Information System (HMIS) of their attached hospitals with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) portal within the stipulated timeline.
The Commission stated that all medical institutions must link their hospital HMIS with the ABDM-HMIS portal maintained by the National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
In a letter addressed to the Dean/Principal of all medical colleges and institutions under NMC, the regulatory body referred to the UGMSR 2023 regulations and said that installing HMIS in attached or associated hospitals is already mandatory. The Commission may also utilise the data generated through these systems.
Earlier, the NMC had instructed medical colleges to implement AEBAS (Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System), HMIS and CCTV integration with the Commission so that it can closely monitor the standards of medical education and training being imparted.
According to the latest communication, integrating HMIS with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission portal will help make the annual renewal and assessment process of medical colleges more objective and transparent.
The Commission has also attached guidelines explaining the ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) registration process for patients. Patients can create an ABHA using their Aadhaar through an ABDM-enabled HMIS at the hospital, with authentication done via Aadhaar-linked mobile OTP or biometric verification.
If a patient has already created an ABHA linked to their mobile number, the hospital can search using that number. After OTP authentication, the patient’s details can be retrieved in the ABDM-enabled HMIS system.
Additionally, a QR-based “Scan and Share” facility has been introduced. Under this system, hospitals generate a facility QR code through HMIS. Patients with an ABHA can scan the code using any ABDM-enabled Personal Health Record (PHR) app and digitally share their profile details. However, this method requires the patient to have a smartphone.
