Every Indian citizen will now get a unique 14-digit health ID card, which will contain their health records under the new Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, describing this as a “new and extraordinary phase that the country is entering today.”

According to the Prime Minister, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission pilot project was announced by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15 last year.

The key components of this scheme, which is also called the National Digital Health Mission or the PM Digital Health Mission, are a health identity card for every citizen, a healthcare professionals registry, and healthcare facilities registries that will act as a repository of all healthcare providers across both modern and traditional systems of medicine. This Mission aims to create interoperability within the digital health ecosystem.

Currenty such Health IDs are being used by most European countries, US, Japan, South Kora, Australia, China, Kenya, Algeria, South Africa, etc and now India too is part of the list.

The move has empowered India to manage nearly 900 million vaccines so far, said Prime Minister Modi, adding that even many developed countries do not have such technology.

This initiative will bring all stakeholders in the health sector in one place, he said. He also added that it would also help the patient to communicate with a doctor who speaks the same language.