The National Health Authority (NHA) on Monday concluded a two-day Chintan Shivir on the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) in Bhubaneswar, with a focus on strengthening inclusive healthcare delivery through innovation, digital integration and the adoption of best practices.
Inaugurating the programme, Odisha Health and Family Welfare and IT Minister Mukesh Mahaling emphasised that ensuring quality healthcare for all remains a top priority as India progresses towards the vision of aSwasth Bharat, Sashakt Bharat. He highlighted Odisha’s strong performance in the implementation of AB PM-JAY, particularly in PM-JAY card distribution and the expansion of cashless healthcare services, and reiterated the state’s commitment to accelerating ABDM adoption through targeted strategies.
The Minister also visited the NHA exhibition stall, where he experienced a virtual reality walkthrough demonstrating the patient journey in an ABDM-enabled hospital, along with other digital health innovations.
NHA Chief Executive Officer Dr Sunil Kumar Barnwal, in his opening address, underscored the robustness of India’s national health IT platform, noting that it enables multiple health schemes to operate on common standards while allowing states flexibility in service delivery. He said the Chintan Shivir served as a vital platform for states to exchange knowledge, share best practices and address implementation challenges related to AB PM-JAY and ABDM.
Dr Barnwal further noted Odisha’s commitment to the large-scale rollout of ABDM to develop a strong digital health infrastructure integrating both public and private hospitals, facilitating the creation of digital health records and ensuring seamless, patient-centric care.
During the event, the NHA signed Memoranda of Understanding with Bhashini, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and NABH-QCI to promote multilingual access to digital health services, advance AI-driven healthcare innovations and strengthen quality and accreditation standards. The NHA also launched the Health Benefit Package (HBP) Manual–Part II and the Best Practices Compendium under AB PM-JAY.
The first day of the Chintan Shivir saw participation from representatives of nearly 30 states and Union Territories, with discussions focusing on digital initiatives such as the Ayushman App, auto-adjudication, e-Sushrut@Clinic, Aarogya Setu, revised DHIS guidelines, pharmacist onboarding on the Health Professional Registry, ABDM implementation in PM-JAY-empanelled hospitals and the functioning of the National Anti-Fraud Unit.
The second day featured in-depth deliberations on AI-driven use cases, IT upgradation under AB PM-JAY, rationalisation of health benefit packages, information, education and communication (IEC) strategies, capacity building through the NHA Digital Academy and the role of artificial intelligence in transforming healthcare delivery.
Senior officials highlighted the significant progress made under AB PM-JAY since its launch in 2018, driven by transparency, efficiency and accessibility enabled by digital and technology-led initiatives under ABDM.
The event was attended by senior dignitaries, including Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg, health officials from Odisha, Rajasthan and Meghalaya, senior NHA officials, and representatives from the Union Health Ministry and state health authorities, who shared insights on strengthening India’s healthcare ecosystem.
The Chintan Shivir reaffirmed NHA’s commitment to collaborative, technology-driven efforts to build an accessible, inclusive and citizen-centric healthcare system aligned with the vision ofViksit BharatandAtmanirbhar Bharat.
