ABHA Card: Know ABHA Card Benefits And How To Apply

What is ABHA Card?

The Ayushman Bharat Health Account Card (ABHA Card), is a great endeavor by the Government of India to allow every Indian citizen access to their healthcare under a single platform. In simple terms, ABHA is a unique 14-digit identification number that acts as your digital vault for all of your health details in a virtual platform. The government has initiated this under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, and so far more than 52 crore people have enrolled for ABHA Card. As we move forward, we will discover ABHA Card benefits , and know how to apply for it in simple steps.

Major Benefits Of ABHA Card

Research in 2023 found that almost 70% Indians don’t have access to proper healthcare. This shows that a large population has been suffering due to an absence of proper healthcare, which is why the government launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme, along with the ABHA Card.

The benefits of having an ABHA Card are:

Offers High Convenience

The greatest utility of having an ABHA Card is that you can access all your healthcare information under a single platform. This includes all your medical consultations, pathological reports, lab results and prescriptions.

Quick Access During Hospital Visits

Imagine having a health emergency where you need to rush to the hospital, but our healthcare is compromised because of the hassle of paperwork. Having an ABHA Card eliminates the need to carry too many documents.

Improved Coordination Among Hospitals

Often your healthcare provider may want to access your medical history to better understand your current health. ABHA Card benefits in private hospitals offer the facility for coordinating among themselves and collecting useful patient history. This also improves healthcare quality and accelerates the process.

What Is The Eligibility To Have an ABHA Card?

Let’s now understand the main criteria for ABHA Card eligibility:

• Only Indian citizens who have an active Ayushman Bharat health account registered with the Government of India. An NRI cannot be eligible to have an ABHA Card
• Your age must be anywhere in between 16 - 59 years
• You should have a valid identity proof, such as an Aadhaar Card, PAN Card or Voter ID, or a passport
• Indian citizens from any caste or group are eligible for this digital health card. You can belong to General, OBC, ST/SC or any minority group to be eligible for this card
• Your annual family income must not exceed ₹2.5 lakh. Annual family income can be the combined income of the income earners of the family, but it should not exceed the mentioned quota.

Minors aged below 18 years but not less than 16 can also have an ABHA Card created on their behalf by parents or legal guardians.

Documents Required For ABHA Card

You need some specific documents, such as your identity proof and health records to gain ABHA Card eligibility. Here they are:

Identity Proof

Every citizen who looks to register under an ABHA account needs to have a valid identity proof, such as an Aadhaar Card or a PAN Card. These identity documents are required at the time of creating your first Ayush Bharat health account.

Previous Health Records And Documents

Documents such as previous medical bills, various healthcare paperworks that provide details about your healthcare condition are required. Usually, the latest medical records are more preferred than year old records.

Domicile Certificate Proof

Your place of birth is needed while creating your ABHA card; for this reason, a domicile certificate is needed to be presented.

Details Of Your Bank Account

One of the benefits of ABHA Card is financial reimbursement during major health expenses, which is why your bank account details are required. You can only provide basic bank details such as your account number and IFSC code.

Also read Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana benefits, eligibility to apply, and the process for application.

How To Apply For ABHA Card?

Here are some easy steps to create your ABHA card and get ABHA Card benefits quickly.

Step 1:

Visit the official website of ABHA firstly. You can select two ways to create your ABHA Card, it’s either Aadhaar Card option or Driving license option.

Step 2:

If you select the Aadhaar Card option, you will be required to fill in your Aadhaar number. When you have completed filling in your number, an OTP will be sent to your Aadhaar registered mobile number for verification.

Step 3:

Manually enter the OTP, fill in the captcha code, and click next. You will be directed to the authentication page where you have to enter your registered mobile number.

Step 4:

After completing Step 3, you will be taken to the communication page. Enter your email address, and click “Verify”. You will receive a confirmation email within 5-10 minutes with a confirmation link. Click on it to verify your details.

Step 5:

In this final step, enter your ABHA address. You can enter a combination of letters and numbers, such as bibhas_5670562. This will be your unique ABHA ID, and your ABHA card will be created finally. You can also download the official ABHA app from the Google Play Store or App Store and register. Before downloading apps, always remember to download from an authentic source, such as playstore, to avoid cyber attacks on your phone.

Also read how digital arrest works and what are ways you can avoid it.

What Is The Difference Between ABHA Card and Ayushman Card?

A common question asked is ABHA Card and Ayushman Card same or they’re both different. There are some significant differences between these cards. Take a look:

To be more specific, the Ayushman Card and ABHA Card serve different purposes. The Ayushman Card is a government issued health insurance scheme, under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). On the other hand, the ABHA Card serves as a digital repository that offers comprehensive digital health records. Currently, ABHA Card uses have crossed 50 crore Indians in 2023, as per government findings.

Also read what is critical illness insurance and how to apply for it.

What Are The Uses Of ABHA Card?

Understanding what is the use of ABHA Card in our day-to-day life is crucial. While an ABHA Card is a digital vault of all your health records, it serves multiple uses as well.

Accumulation Of All Health Documents

The primary use of ABHA Card involves consolidating all your health records in one digital space. Imagine visiting different physicians for various therapies and carrying separate health documents. ABHA Card makes it highly convenient for you to have a comprehensive lifetime health record that provides complete visibility into your medical history.

Seamless Access To Healthcare Facilities

You can easily access healthcare facilities with all of your documents in case of any medical emergency, without worrying too much about searching your healthcare documents through piles of old reports. At one click, your healthcare providers can view your ongoing medications, allergies, and past treatments.

Provides Permanent Storage

One of the ABHA Card benefits is permanent storage of all of your health records. Even if the physical records of your healthcare documents get destroyed, your ABHA card or ABHA number can provide quick access to all of your healthcare data in a click. This helps patients to have a lifelong storage of every health record, without fearing data loss.

Quick Access For Teleconsultations

Another use of ABHA Card is in teleconsultations and helping physicians to provide telemedicines. In video consultations or accessing online healthcare platforms, your ABHA-linked records provide the teleconsultation doctor with the necessary health context.

Assists Research In the Healthcare Industry

Healthcare research and public health management benefit from the ABHA Card uses as well. With proper consent and anonymization, the aggregated health data from ABHA numbers helps researchers understand disease patterns and determine treatment outcomes.

Conclusion

ABHA Card benefits are constantly extending to rural and remote places of India as well. The digitalisation of healthcare for crores of Indians has benefited immensely, as healthcare facilities can now seamlessly access voluminous patent data at a click. Whether you have private health insurance or are covered under the PM-JAY scheme, you are eligible for an ABHA number. This digital health card functions independently of insurance coverage and premium you pay.

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