Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (Health, Diseases and Biotechnology)
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (Health, Diseases and Biotechnology)
Why In News:
The Union Health Minister launched Aarogya Setu 2.0, repositioning what was originally a COVID-19 contact tracing application as a single digital gateway for health services, fully integrated with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) ecosystem.
Source: PIB Analysis, 29 June 2026, 'Aarogya Setu 2.0 Launched: A Single Digital Gateway for Health Services'
About the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)
Launch: Rolled out pan-India on 27 September 2021, after an earlier pilot phase from 2020 in six Union Territories under the name National Digital Health Mission (NDHM).
Implementing agency: The National Health Authority (NHA), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which also implements the PM-JAY health insurance scheme under Ayushman Bharat.
Objective: To develop a robust digital backbone to support the integrated digital health infrastructure and bridging gaps among stakeholders in India's healthcare ecosystem.
Aarogya Setu: Background and Evolution
Original launch: Launched in April 2020 by the National Informatics Centre under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology as a COVID-19 contact tracing and self-assessment application.
Aarogya Setu 2.0: Repurposes the app as a Personal Health Record (PHR) and single entry point for ABDM services, enabling ABHA creation, 'Scan and Share' of health records, AI-based digitisation of medical records, family health account management, access to e-RaktKosh for blood bank information, and search for PM-JAY empanelled hospitals.
Key Facts for Prelims
ABHA number: A voluntary 14-digit unique health identification number that can be created using Aadhaar or a mobile number.
National Health Authority: The apex statutory body responsible for implementing PM-JAY and ABDM, governed by a Governing Board chaired by the Union Health Minister.
eSanjeevani: India's national telemedicine service enabling doctor-to-doctor and patient-to-doctor teleconsultations, distinct from Aarogya Setu.