Over 400 students, faculty members and staff of the Goa Institute of Management (GIM) were provided with Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs, as part of the Goa government’s Directorate of Health Services’ (DHS) pilot project in collaboration with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to create integrated digital health infrastructure in the country.
The Goa government’s DHS is working on mission mode to provide the entire state’s population with an ABHA ID, a 14-digit number that will uniquely identify each member as a participant in India’s digital healthcare ecosystem. Students of the GIM along with the government’s health administration will continue to develop various strategies to promote ABHA enrolment throughout college campuses across the state.
The creation of an ABHA ID is a voluntary choice made by participants of their own free-will and enrolled citizens will also have the authority to seek permanent deletion or brief deactivation of their IDs.
The enrolment drive which was held at the GIM campus in Sanquelim recently, was inaugurated by Dr. Geeta Kakodkar, Director of Health Services and Dr. Kedar Raikar, Nodal Officer, ABDM. The drive was organised under the aegis of the B-school’s ‘Give Goa’ initiative, which is a part of the institute’s curriculum. The programme seeks to encourage social responsibility among GIM students through community service to achieve the objective of a more inclusive society. ‘Give Goa’ health projects focus on public health issues and initiatives which strengthen health systems. Students work in collaboration with local organisations and government and private institutions.
According to Dr. Ajit Parulekar, Director of GIM, ABHA and ABDM are going to be a “game changer for the healthcare landscape in India”.
“Beyond the efforts of this campaign, GIM is happy to work with the DHS, Goa, to strengthen this initiative in the state,” he said.
“Through ABDM, Indian health records are going digital. Lab reports, doctors’ prescriptions, and other hospital reports will all be digitalized and paperless. Long lines will not be a concern when making appointments. We are entering a digitised, modernised world which is proving to be the need of the hour. Enrolment drives like this are a great way to awaken youngsters and consequently, their families and make them aware of the advancements in healthcare in the country,” according to Dr. Geeta Kakodkar.
Speaking further on ABHA and its increasing relevance today, Professor Ajay Vamadevan, Program Chair of Healthcare Management at GIM states: “Similar to how the Aadhaar-UPI-led payment system played a pivotal role in financial inclusion, the ABDM-ABHA-led digital transformation in healthcare will lead to ease of living, inclusive healthcare, improved quality and significant research innovations in the long term. The Healthcare Management Programme at GIM is grooming ethically responsible and agile leaders to serve the healthcare sector in Goa, India and globally.”
Through the ‘Give Goa’ Health initiative, GIM students have completed 49 projects working with numerous client organisations in Goa, including the state government, NGOs and research organisations. All these initiatives together are aimed at improving the healthcare landscape of Goa.
