By Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, Senior Fellow, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP)
(Profile: https://cddep.org/team/dr-ramanan-laxminarayan/)
Key Takeaways
- 92% of Bihar’s government hospital out‑patient registrations now use QR‑based “Scan & Share” under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) republicdiary.com.
- Bihar accounts for 2.94 crore of the 11.38 crore total ABDM registrations nationwide republicdiary.comm.toppersnotes.com.
- Integration with the state’s Mukhyamantri Digital Health Yojana (MDHY) and BHAVYA platform has driven adoption from 4% in April 2024 to over 91% by May 2025 digitalhealthnews.com.
What’s Happening?
Bihar has surged ahead of all Indian states in adopting digital health technologies under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. As of June 2025, 92% of patients at government facilities in Bihar complete OPD registration via QR code—avoiding long queues and paperwork. This landmark achievement is backed by:
- Health Facility Registry (HFR): 15,000+ facilities onboarded newsonair.gov.in
- Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR): 35,000+ professionals registered newsonair.gov.in
- ABHA Health IDs: 4.3 crore accounts created in Bihar alone (as of February 2025) livehindustan.com
These measures are transforming patient experience—average waiting times have dropped from 58 to 35 minutes, and total visit durations from 70 to 47 minutes since August 2023 digitalhealthnews.com.
Expert Analysis
“Interoperability and patient‑centric access to health data are pillars of a robust digital health ecosystem,” notes Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, whose research on digital interventions underpins WHO’s 2019 guidelines on digital health system strengthening who.int.
According to the WHO’s 2019 guideline on digital interventions, rigorous evaluation and equitable rollout are essential to avoid exacerbating health disparities who.int. Bihar’s model—integrating national ABDM building blocks with home‑grown platforms MDHY and BHAVYA—exemplifies best practice by:
- Ensuring Data Privacy & Security: Consent‑driven record sharing.
- Training Front‑line Health Workers: Digital literacy programs for PHC staff.
- Real‑Time Monitoring: Dashboards for administrators to track service delivery.
What This Means for You
- Faster Care: Skip long queues—scan your ABHA QR code at registration desks.
- Seamless Records: Your prescriptions, lab reports, and referrals follow you digitally.
- Better Accountability: Administrators can identify service gaps in real time.
Daily Digest: June 2025
- July 1: National rollout of e‑Pharmacy integration under ABDM begins.
- July 5: Webinar on “Digital Health for Rural India” featuring NITI Aayog experts.
- July 10: Release of the Union Health Ministry’s mid‑year ABDM performance report.
Fact‑Check
| Claim | Source & Verification |
|---|---|
| “Bihar leads in scan & share with 92% OPD registrations.” | ABDM Dashboard, National Health Authority (via Republic Diary) republicdiary.com |
| “Patient wait times halved since August 2023.” | State Health Department data, validated by Union Health Ministry (Digital Health News) digitalhealthnews.com |
| “15,000 facilities and 35,000 professionals registered in HFR/HPR.” | Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission progress report (AIR News) newsonair.gov.in |
| “WHO guideline stresses equity and evaluation.” | WHO Guideline: Recommendations on Digital Interventions for Health System Strengthening, June 2019 who.int |
