CGHS beneficiary ID-ABHA linking has become mandatory for central government employees. What is more, they should check the deadline and all the details regarding what they must do as soon as possible to derive maximum benefits. ABHA stands for Ayushman Bharat Health Account. Notably, the deadline for the linking of both IDs has been extended by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Significantly, this move by the ministry will come as welcome relief for government employees. The old deadline for the CGHS beneficiary ID-ABHA ID linking was to start from April 1, 2024 and be completed within a month. There was a huge amount of uncertainty among the employees about how things will proceed, but that worry has been put to rest by the government now. In fact to ensure no unnecessary impediments or hurdles were faced by the employees, the ministry, in an Office Memorandum, that was quoted by Economic Times, said, “To assist the CGHS beneficiaries, KIOSKS shall be made operational at all the wellness centers by 30.06.2024.” The notification was dated April 15, 2024.
According to the ministry, these beneficiaries can visit their nearest CGHS wellness centre to avail services including updation of mobile number, correction of errors including in name, age, or gender as well as linking of CGHS beneficiary ID to ABHA number – the date provided is 01.07.2024 onwards.
According to the ministry, “The creation of ABHA ID (ABHA number) has been extended for a time period of 90 days, w.e.f. 30.06.2024 (3 months from 30.06.2024),” the ministry said.
Why central government employees should undertake the linking exercise
There are a number of benefits to be derived. Among them are:
* Government employees’ health records will be available on their fingertips as full access will be provided on smartphones.
* Beneficiaries will be able to view health records on their preferred Personal Health Record (PHR) apps that they will have to download.
* Health records can then be carried from one hospital/ healthcare provider to another with all the past treatments available in a centralised location for easy access for both the person concerned and the relevant doctor.
* OPD appointment with a doctor by scanning a QR code will also likely be available.
What is ABHA?
ABHA stans for Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) number. In this system, an individual gets a 14-digit number, which is used to identify a person in an online health ecosystem. The number serves to authenticate and link the beneficiaries’ health records and be provided, with his/her consent, to multiple stakeholders to better deliver healthcare services. The number allows beneficiaries to easily interact with healthcare providers. Not just that, beneficiaries also receive their lab reports, prescriptions and diagnosis online from medical professionals who have been thoroughly verified.
Steps to Create/Link ABHA number with the CGHS beneficiary ID:
There are a number of points to be kept in mind before starting this exercise:
* Mobile number must already be linked with the CGHS card.
* Aadhaar card must be linked with mobile number.
Now, check out the step-by-step process:
1) Open CGHS website www.cghs.nic.in and Log-in via Beneficiary Log-in
2) Go to the ‘Update’ Tab and Click ‘Create/Link ABHA ID’
3) Just before the “Beneficiary Name” click on the ‘Create/Link ABHA ID’
4) Those who don’t have an ABHA number, can go to ‘I don’t have an ABHA number’ tab
* Enter Aadhaar number
* Accept the Consent Message
* Click on Get Aadhaar OTP
* Enter OTP
* Click on ‘Verify OTP’
If the data that has been provided by the beneficiary matches, the ABHA number is created and successfully linked with the CGHS ID.
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