New Delhi: Giving a sigh of relief to over 45 lakh central government health service (CGHS) beneficiaries, the Union Health Ministry has suspended the implementation of compulsory linking of CGHS ID with Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID until further notice.
The ministry stated that implementation of its earlier order dated March 28, for mandatory linkage of CGHS beneficiaries ID with ABHA ID be kept in abeyance till further orders. "Linkage of CGHS ID with ABHA ID is made voluntary/optional till further orders," an order issued by the directorate of CGHS said.
As per the CGHS dashboard, more than 4.5 million people and 75 cities are covered under the CGHS scheme, of which only 231,134 CGHS IDs had been linked with ABHA ID till June 26. Although the exact reason for cancelling the linkage of CGHS and ABHA ID is not known, experts believe that data privacy concerns and lack of technical infrastructure may have led to the decision.
"When the government issued the order for linking both CGHS and ABHA ID, it raised a lot of concern among the beneficiaries. They were anticipating that the new process may curtail some of the benefits under the CGHS scheme," said Giridhar Gyani, director general of the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHCP-I).
Gyani said that making the linking voluntary will give some time to the government to address data security concerns and system integration issues.
In an earlier order, the health ministry had made it mandatory for all CGHS beneficiaries to link their beneficiary ID and ABHA ID. The order was scheduled to come into force with effect from April 1, before being extended by another four months from June 30.
The CGHS scheme provides comprehensive healthcare services to central government employees, pensioners, and their dependent family members. On the other hand, the ABHA ID is a 14-digit number that uniquely identifies a beneficiary in India's digital healthcare ecosystem. All citizens can open and operate an ABHA account.
Government's view
Following the linking of CGHS and ABHA ID, government employees' health records will be available at their fingertips as full access will be provided on their cell phones. The beneficiaries will be able to view health records on their preferred Personal Health Record (PHR) apps. The health records can then be carried from one hospital or 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.
Beneficiaries Concern
After the government issued an order for CGHS and ABHA ID linkage, it was anticipated that present government employees and pensioners would be deprived of CGHS benefits. There could be restrictions on the use of private hospitals for government employees.
General Secretary of All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF), C Srikumar said the government did not consult with the employees federation before bringing any new rules.
"We have doubts over the government's intention because it has not consulted us before taking such a decision concerning the central government employees," added C Srikumar who is also the national secretary of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).
