SRIKAKULAM: District Collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar has said that Srikakulam has been selected as the first Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) Model District in Andhra Pradesh.
The ABDM Model District and Model Facilities programme, a joint initiative of the Andhra Pradesh Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department and the National Health Authority (NHA), Government of India, was launched in the district on Friday.
Under the programme, digital health services will be implemented across the district, making it a model for other districts in the State. The initiative aims to ensure continuity, transparency and greater use of technology in healthcare services.
The programme was virtually inaugurated by Union Minister for Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu. State Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, State MSME, SERP, NRI Empowerment & Relations Minister and District In-charge Minister Kondapalli Srinivas, and State Health Commissioner KVN Chakradhar Babu also addressed the gathering.
Speaking on the occasion, Collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said being chosen as the first ABDM Model District was a matter of pride for Srikakulam. He urged all stakeholders to make the best use of the opportunity and work towards making the district a model in digital health service implementation.
The Collector directed all private medical institutions registered under the Clinical Establishments Act to enrol in the Health Facility Registry (HFR), while eligible doctors should register in the Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR). He said private hospitals should adopt Hospital Management Information Systems (HMIS) compliant with ABDM standards to enable the secure sharing of patients’ health information.
He said nearly 65 per cent of healthcare services in the district are provided by the private sector, making its participation crucial for achieving ABDM goals. The programme will facilitate digital services such as ABHA-based patient registration, QR code scanning, digital OP and IP services, electronic health records, electronic prescriptions and secure health information exchange.
The dignitaries participating virtually stressed the need to strengthen digital health services across the country through ABDM and appreciated the Andhra Pradesh Government’s efforts. They noted that more than 51 million ABHA numbers and 123 million ABHA-linked health records had already been created in the State. They also highlighted the successful implementation of the HFR, HPR and scan-and-register services in government hospitals.
Representatives of government and private medical institutions and partner organisations that made significant contributions to ABDM implementation were felicitated. MLA N. Eshwar Rao also addressed the gathering.
NHA Directors Piyush Singla and Pankaj Kumar Arora, Appala Naidu from Andhra University, district health officials, medical experts, representatives of digital health service organisations, and delegates from government and private medical institutions participated.