Now, government to issue health IDs to newborns

Newborn babies and young children will be issued their own Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) numbers, also known as health IDs, allowing parents to track their children’s health records.

The National Health Authority is developing a mechanism under which parents can generate ABHA numbers for their newborns and young children.

The ABHA number will enable parents to upload all personal health records from birth, as well as all healthcare benefits availed, ranging from public health programmes to insurance schemes.

Currently, only individuals above 18 years of age are entitled to enroll for ABHA cards.

To be sure, the central government runs several programmes and schemes, such as POSHAN Abhiyan, Reproductive and Child Health, and Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, catering to young children and newborns.