Bhadrak: Bhadrak district has stood first among the districts in the country in the preparation of identification cards for the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA). Odisha has also stood first among the states in the preparation of ABHA IDs. Notably, Odisha had been given a target of 25 lakh IDs but it crossed the target by preparing around 43 lakh IDs. This is part of an initiative under Digital India programme to provide each Aadhaar card holder with a special health identity card known as ABHA. The matter came to the fore after Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya awarded Odisha for the achievement at a function to mark the Universal Health Coverage Day at Varanasi December 10. The function was organised by Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
A special campaign was launched on November 12 and continued for a month till December 12 during which people registered their names for ABHA. Reports said that Bhadrak district had received a target of 89,782 ABHA cards but due to sincere efforts of the health workers around 4,65,177 ABHA cards were prepared during the period. The achievement has garnered 519 per cent success for the district, chief district medical officer (CDMO) Dr Santosh Kumar Patra said.