The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has made it mandatory for the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) beneficiaries to link their CGHS IDs with the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) by April 30, 2024. On March 28, 2024, the ministry notified that “Linking CGHS ID with ABHA ID shall be completed within 30 days by all beneficiaries.”

What Is CGHS?

The CGHS healthcare facility is open to central government employees. It was started in 1954 and provides employees and their families with a comprehensive healthcare benefit, including hospitalisation, medication, etc., while on the job or after retirement.

On the other hand, the ABHA ID is a unique number provided to the beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) launched in 2021 to strengthen the digital ecosystem in the healthcare space. However, one should not confuse it with Ayushman Bharat Yojana, popularly known as Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (PMJAY). PMJAY provides health cover to beneficiaries of up to Rs 5 lakh annually; ABHA, on the other hand, provides a platform for beneficiaries to access their health records quickly and transparently.

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Benefits Of Linking CGHS With ABHA ID:

It will benefit the CGHS beneficiaries in many ways. The unique ABHA card provides access to the digital platform where all the health records are stored safely. It also allows a hassle-free record-keeping. Health problems increase with age, and it may become difficult to manage all the records of diagnosis, prescriptions, medication, doctor details, etc. So, ABHA allows people to access them digitally. As of April 3, 2024, some 589 million ABHA IDs were issued, and around 361 million have linked their health records with ABHA IDs.

Easy Sharing:

The digitisation of health records makes it easy for a person to get medical attention swiftly because the records are available in one place. Doctors would better understand the beneficiary’s medical condition based on the medical history available with ABHA. The process would be fast and less tiresome, particularly for senior citizens for record-keeping.

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Secure Access:

ABDM is a government initiative, and the data stored on it is safe with necessary security measures. Also, the data cannot be shared without the beneficiary’s consent. So, pensioners can be assured of transparency and ease of use of the facility.