Mumbai ABHA Drive Records 13,000 Registrations in 10 Days as BMC Pushes Paperless Healthcare

The 100-day campaign includes outreach through municipal hospitals, clinics, Aapla Dawakhana centres, ward offices, schools, colleges, housing societies, markets and community centres.

Mumbai’s push towards paperless healthcare has gained momentum, with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recording approximately 12,000 to 13,000 registrations under the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) initiative in the first 10 days of its 100-day Mumbai DigiHealth Connect campaign, launched on October 2.

The initiative forms part of the civic body's efforts to expand digital health adoption and make medical records easier to access across healthcare settings.

By enabling citizens to create ABHA accounts, the campaign aims to support the digital linking and sharing of health records, reducing the need to carry physical reports when seeking treatment.

“The objective of this 100-day mission is to ensure that more and more citizens are brought under the ABHA framework so that their healthcare records can be accessed digitally whenever required. We want to make healthcare more accessible and seamless, irrespective of where a person seeks treatment,” Prajakta Verma-Lavangare, additional municipal commissioner (city and health).

To expand registrations, the BMC has trained Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA workers) to facilitate enrolment at ration shops.

The approach is intended to reach residents who may be difficult to contact through conventional door-to-door campaigns because of work schedules and the city's mobile population.

“The larger goal is to build a digital health ecosystem in which registered patients do not have to repeatedly produce physical records and government doctors across the country can access their medical histories through the authorised system. Thus, we also urge those who are young and tech-savvy to register themselves and their family members,” Prajakta Verma-Lavangare said.

The drive additionally promotes digital health services aligned with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), including Scan and Share for outpatient registration, electronic prescriptions, discharge summaries, and digital laboratory and radiology reports.

The 100-day campaign includes outreach through municipal hospitals, clinics, Aapla Dawakhana centres, ward offices, schools, colleges, housing societies, markets and community centres.

Special efforts are planned for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and disadvantaged communities. The initiative also supports enrolment for Ayushman Vay Vandana Cards for eligible citizens aged 70 and above, alongside PMJAY and MJPJAY card registration.

The initiative could be particularly relevant for Mumbai’s migrant population, whose healthcare needs may extend beyond the city.

With appropriate consent and authorised access, digital records can help individuals share their medical histories with healthcare providers when they travel or relocate.

The Mumbai DigiHealth Connect campaign extends beyond ABHA registration, as BMC is also working to register eligible healthcare facilities on the Health Facility Registry (HFR) and healthcare professionals on the Healthcare Professional Registry (HPR).

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