Aarogya Setu reimagined as digital health platform under ABDM, government pushes nationwide healthcare digitisation
New Delhi, July 6. The Centre has repositioned Aarogya Setu, originally developed as India’s COVID-19 contact tracing application, into a comprehensive citizen-centric digital health platform under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), as part of its broader push to create an integrated digital healthcare ecosystem across the country.
The revamped Aarogya Setu 2.0, launched by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on June 29, is designed to serve as a single gateway to a range of digital health services while enabling users to securely store and manage their personal health records.
According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the upgraded application integrates multiple services available under the ABDM and aims to accelerate the nationwide adoption of digital healthcare.
One platform for multiple health services
The new version allows users to create and manage their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), access digital health records, and use the Scan & Register facility for quicker registration at hospitals.
Among its new features is an Optical Character Recognition (OCR)-powered Smart Reports system capable of reading digital medical documents and organising them into a user’s health record.
The application also enables users to access details of their Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) coverage and private health insurance through the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX), offering greater transparency in insurance benefits and claims.
In addition, citizens can locate nearby healthcare facilities, check real-time availability of blood units through e-RaktKosh, book teleconsultations as well as physical appointments via the Unified Health Interface (UHI), and receive artificial intelligence-based health insights by analysing uploaded medical records alongside ABDM-linked health data.
The application further supports health monitoring through wearable device integration, enabling users to track parameters such as heart rate, blood glucose, calorie consumption, step count and other vital indicators. It also provides personalised reminders, goal tracking and access to health education material, including blogs, videos, frequently asked questions and awareness content.
Faster hospital registration
The government also highlighted the success of the Scan and Share service introduced under ABDM in 2022, which has substantially reduced waiting times for patients visiting hospitals.
A study conducted by the Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) found that the digital registration system has cut outpatient waiting times from around one hour to between two and five minutes.
The service allows patients to scan a QR code at participating healthcare facilities, generating a digital queue token while automatically retrieving demographic information from their ABHA account and integrating it with the hospital’s Health Information System.
As of June 18, more than 23.21 crore ABHA-linked digital tokens had been generated across healthcare facilities nationwide.
Developed in collaboration with government agencies, healthcare institutions and patient advocacy groups, the service complies with established standards relating to data protection, interoperability and digital security.
Expanding the ABDM network
The government has invited both public and private healthcare providers – including hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres, pharmacies and imaging facilities – to become part of the ABDM ecosystem.
Healthcare institutions that join the network are listed in the Health Facility Registry, enabling patients to locate them through the ABHA application. Medical records generated during treatment can then be securely linked to patients’ digital health accounts with their consent.
Facilities connected to the National Health Claims Exchange can also digitally process insurance verification and claims, simplifying administrative procedures for both providers and patients.
To encourage wider participation, the Centre continues to implement the Digital Health Incentive Scheme (DHIS), which reimburses healthcare providers for digitisation expenses and offers financial incentives for creating interoperable digital health records.
The scheme is open to hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, pharmacies, laboratories, diagnostic centres and digital solution companies developing ABDM-compatible platforms.
According to official figures, incentives amounting to over ₹107 crore have been disbursed to hospitals, more than ₹2.95 crore to diagnostic centres, laboratories and pharmacies, and over ₹26 crore to digital solution companies as of June 18.
Digital transformation for small clinics
The government has also introduced eSushrut@Clinic, a lightweight Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to help smaller clinics adopt digital healthcare.
Launched in June, the platform automates routine functions such as patient registration, billing and reporting, while allowing clinics to digitise patient records in a standardised and affordable manner.
Access to the platform is restricted to verified healthcare professionals and registered health facilities through the Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and the Health Facility Registry (HFR).
More than 2,200 healthcare facilities have already been onboarded onto the platform, generating over 1,633 digital health records, according to the government.
Insurance claims go digital
The government said the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX) is emerging as a key component of India’s digital health ecosystem by simplifying health insurance claim processing.
The platform enables digital exchange of claims-related information among hospitals, insurers, beneficiaries, regulators and other stakeholders, creating what the government describes as a “digital highway” for health insurance.
Officials said the system reduces claim settlement time, shortens hospital discharge procedures, lowers administrative costs and provides patients with a single platform to access insurance benefits, medical history and treatment records.
With patients’ consent, healthcare providers can also view complete treatment histories, reducing duplication of diagnostic tests and supporting better clinical decision-making. Insurers, meanwhile, benefit from faster processing and improved data for product development and risk assessment.
The government said the ongoing expansion of ABDM, together with platforms such as Aarogya Setu 2.0, eSushrut@Clinic and NHCX, is intended to create a more connected, efficient and patient-centric healthcare system by integrating digital health records, service delivery and insurance under a unified national framework.
