- Why in news
- On 7 August 2026, the Ministry of Health said the ABHA-based Scan and Register service under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has crossed 25 crore OPD registrations. The National Health Authority runs the service.
- What it is
- Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) builds an interoperable digital health system around the ABHA health ID and consent-based sharing of health records. Scan and Register, earlier called Scan and Share, lets a patient scan a hospital's QR code with a Personal Health Record app and share their ABHA profile for instant OPD registration. It replaces paper forms and queues at registration counters.
- Launch and earlier name
- The service began in October 2022 as Scan and Share and is now called Scan and Register.
- How it works
- The patient scans the facility's QR code using an ABDM-enabled PHR app. After giving consent, the patient shares the ABHA profile and gets registered without paper forms.
- Leading States
- Bihar leads with over 7.30 crore transactions, followed by Uttar Pradesh (4.09 crore), Andhra Pradesh (3.38 crore) and Jammu & Kashmir (1.39 crore).
- Top facility
- AIIMS New Delhi has the most registrations among government facilities, with over 54.29 lakh.
- Implementing agency
- The National Health Authority implements ABDM, and its CEO is Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal.
Don’t confuse with ABHA vs PHR app: ABHA is the health account/ID number of the citizen. A PHR app is the application used to hold it and to scan the QR code.
Don’t confuse with ABDM vs PM-JAY: ABDM is a digital health infrastructure mission. PM-JAY is the health insurance scheme, though both are run by the National Health Authority.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Cuts waiting time and paperwork at OPD counters, helping women, elderly and frequent patients.
- Acts as an entry point to linked digital health records and an interoperable health system.
Problems
- Digital divide: low smartphone and digital literacy limit access, especially in rural areas.
- Privacy and security of health data, and the quality of informed consent.
Way forward
- Strengthen data protection and consent safeguards for health records.
- Expand coverage to primary facilities with assisted registration for those without smartphones.
Put in your answer
Daily usage: Nearly 4 lakh patients use the service every day.
- 2022Prelims Q19ABDM: whether hospitals must adopt it, universal coverage, and portability statements.
- 2022Mains GS4 · Q4Ethical issues in telemedicine and online methods, especially for vulnerable sections.
- 2014Mains GS2 · Q15Whether Aadhaar and NPR should run concurrently; their developmental benefits and equitable growth potential.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Scheme with ABHA and a milestone figure; mainly a progress update, and ABDM features are not yet a distinct question issue.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.