The National Health Authority (NHA) has announced the allocation of funds to states and Union Territories for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) based on their performance in recording data in the Health Facility Register (HFR) and Health Professional Register (HPR). This performance-based allocation of funds will help in the structured implementation of ABDM at the State/UT level with verified records strengthening the key national registries being built under this system.
As per the earlier guidelines issued by NHA, Rs. 500 crore has been earmarked for the establishment of ABDM offices at the State/UT level for a period of 5 years (FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26). Twenty percent of these funds i.e. Rs. 100 million crowns were set aside for incentive funds. Keeping this idea in mind, NHA has decided to expand the current allocation of funds based on the performance of respective states and UTs in terms of number of entities (health workers like doctors, nurses etc. and health facilities like hospitals, clinics, health and wellness centers, diagnostic laboratories, pharmacies, etc.), which the relevant states/UTS register and verify within a specified period.
Dr. Commenting on this, R. S. Sharma, CEO, NHA said, “HPR and HFR are the key pillars of ABDM. With enthusiastic support from states and UTs to register more healthcare workers and healthcare facilities, we can extend the benefits of digital healthcare services to the masses. Competent authorities in states and UTs are also responsible for verifying the details entered during registration. Their support will help build national registries of healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities that can be the single source of truth for individuals seeking healthcare services.
The Health Facility Registry (HFR) and Health Professional Registry (HPR) population is critical to achieving the intended goal of ABDM. An initiative in this direction is the introduction of performance-based funding for states and UTs.
The NHA has defined the parameters for allocation of funds as:
•Rs 100 for each verified entry in HFR & HPR till 31 December 2022
•Rs 50 for each verified entry in HFR and HPR between 1 January 2023 and 31 March 2023
•No funds will be allocated for records verified in HFR & HPR after March 31, 2023
•States and UTs are free to use these funds to deploy full-time or part-time human resources for ABDM
