How to make ABHA Card Online: In order to make the country’s health services modern and paperless in the era of Digital India, the Central Government has launched Abha Card (ABHA Card -Ayushman Bharat Health Account) under Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). It is a 14 digit unique digital health ID number, which keeps the health records (Medical History) of every citizen safely on a single digital platform. Earlier, when going to the hospital, patients had to carry heavy files of their old prescriptions, blood test reports, X-rays and medicines, but now after the creation of Abha card, doctors will be able to see the complete medical history of the patient at a single click. The best part is that you don’t need to visit any government office or public service center (CSC) to get an Abha card made—you can make and download it for free in just two minutes from your mobile phone at home.
The process of generating Abha Health Card online is completely digital and free of cost. For this you must have any one of the following documents and active mobile number:
-
Aadhaar Card: Along with Aadhaar number, your mobile number should be linked to Aadhaar (Aadhaar-linked Mobile Number), so that e-KYC verification can be done instantly through OTP.
-
Driving License: If for some reason your mobile number is not linked to Aadhaar, you can also generate Aadha number through your valid driving license. However, the final verification of the account created through driving license has to be done at the nearest health centre.
You can generate your Abha card instantly by following the simple steps given below through the official government website or mobile app: First of all, open the official website of National Health Authority (NHA) abha.abdm.gov.in in the browser of your smartphone (if you want, you can also download the official ABHA App from Google Play Store). Click on the ‘Create ABHA Number’ button visible on the homepage. Now you will have two options – ‘Create your ABHA number using Aadhaar’ and ‘Create your ABHA number using Driving License’. Click on ‘Using Aadhaar’ option for the fastest process. After this enter your 12 digit Aadhaar number, tick the declaration form given below (I Agree), fill the captcha code visible on the screen and press the ‘Next’ button. Now a 6 digit OTP will be sent to your Aadhaar registered mobile number – enter and verify the OTP. Once the verification is complete, your photo, name, date of birth and address from the Aadhaar database will automatically appear on the screen. In the next step, link your active mobile number or email ID and select an ABHA Address of your choice (like yourname@abdm) and submit. By doing just this, your 14 digit Abha number will be generated and the option of ‘Download ABHA Card’ will appear on the screen, from where you can save your card as PDF or image.
Abha Health Card provides many practical facilities to the common citizens and patients, the details of which can be understood in the table below:
| Key Features of Aura Card | Direct benefit to common citizen/patient |
|---|---|
| 14-digit unique health ID | A single digital identity will be valid in all registered hospitals, clinics and pathology labs across the country. |
| digital medical record locker | Doctor’s prescription, lab test report, discharge summary and vaccination certificate will always be safe, no fear of losing. |
| Quick registration in OPD | By scanning ‘Scan & Share’ QR code in government and private hospitals, you will get OPD token immediately without standing in long queues. |
| Complete Data Privacy (Consent Based) | No doctor or hospital will be able to see your medical records without the patient’s permission (OTP/Consent). |
| Linkage to Ayushman Bharat scheme | Eligible families can avail cashless treatment by linking their Abha account to Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). |
Often people consider Abha Card (ABHA Card) and Ayushman Bharat Golden Card (Ayushman Card) to be the same, whereas the purposes of both are different. Ayushman Golden Card is only for economically weak and eligible families, under which free treatment facility up to ₹ 5 lakh is available annually. In contrast, Abha Card is a digital health account (Digital Health Locker) for every citizen of the country (irrespective of income group). Abha card does not directly provide free treatment worth ₹5 lakh, but it is a means to digitally save all your medical documents and share them securely with doctors in any corner of the country.