NHA Announces Two Model Digital Hospitals in Every District Across India

NHA has identified 38 districts across 35 states and Union Territories for an initial phased rollout.

In a significant move to digitise healthcare services, the National Health Authority (NHA) has unveiled plans to establish two model digital hospitals in each district across India, one government-run and one privately operated.

The initiative seeks to demonstrate the implementation of integrated digital healthcare systems and is aimed at reducing patient waiting times, paperwork, and duplication of diagnostic tests by connecting hospital services through digital infrastructure.

The proposed model will be developed under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), with hospitals adopting digital processes across the patient journey, from registration and consultation to prescriptions, diagnostic reports, and pharmacy services.

As part of the proposed plans, NHA has also set adoption benchmarks, including more than 95% ABHA coverage among visiting patients and complete onboarding of local doctors and clinics onto the Health Professionals Registry (HPR) and Health Facility Registry (HFR).

Under the proposed framework, hospitals will use QR code-enabled patient registration, digital prescriptions, and electronic health records to streamline administrative and clinical processes.

The integration will also connect nursing stations, diagnostic laboratories, and in-house pharmacy systems to support information exchange across hospital departments.

The framework requires participating facilities to maintain dedicated internet connectivity and functional hardware across service counters.

As per reports, NHA has identified 38 districts across 35 states and Union Territories for an initial phased rollout. These districts are expected to serve as model locations for demonstrating end-to-end digital adoption across local healthcare facilities.

The latest initiative follows Tripura's experience in implementing digital healthcare infrastructure across public health facilities.

The state has introduced paperless hospital workflows through its Integrated Health Management Information System (IHMIS), connecting services such as outpatient registration, prescriptions, laboratory testing, and medicine dispensing.

Through the proposed model, NHA intends to help other districts adapt and replicate similar digital workflows, with state mission directors responsible for overseeing implementation and monitoring progress against operational benchmarks.

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