Rasulpur: The failure to link mobile numbers with Aadhaar cards and get an OTP for registration has proved to be a road block for many in the Centre-sponsored healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) under this block in Jajpur district, sources informed Monday. People who have not linked their mobile numbers with Aadhaar cards are not getting the one time password (OTP) required for registration of their names in ABHA.
This block has over 1.5 lakh Aadhaar card holders but only 20 per cent of them have been able to register their names in ABHA. The scheme aims to help the economically weaker sections of the society with healthcare facilities. The Odisha government is not willing to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in the state but has accepted ABHA.
People can also register their names in ABHA if they have a driving licence. They have to carry their driving licences and verify it at the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission camp held near their place of residence. They will get an ABHA number after the verification is done. A special campaign has been launched all over Odisha to allot ABHA numbers to the residents.
People having an ABHA number can avail of healthcare facilities all over India. The ABHA number will have a record of the patient’s past history of diseases and the treatment undertaken. Accordingly the patient will then be treated.
However, only 35,000 people have received their ABHA number at the Madhuban community health centre under this block. This is because, most of the others do not have their mobile numbers linked to their Aadhaar cards and hence cannot get the OTP.
This has prompted people to rush to Aadhaar centres and get their mobile phone linked with their cards. However, they are allegedly being fleeced at the centre and are being charged Rs 150-Rs 200 for linking their mobile numbers to their cards. Many poor families are failing to shell out the cash and hence are being deprived of healthcare facilities.
Even those who have linked their mobile numbers with their Aadhaar cards are finding it difficult to register for ABHA. This is because most of the time the ABHA servers remain down. As a result, registration of names is progressing at a snail’s pace. Agitation by ASHA workers in this block has also not helped in the cause.
People have demanded that their mobile numbers be linked with their Aadhaar cards free of cost and also to extend the validity of the OTP to 24 hours instead of the 10 minutes at present. They feel that if these two issues are looked into, the number of registration for the ABHA scheme will increase substantially during the special campaign duration.
When contacted, health officials at Madhuban CHC said that the special campaign for the ABHA registration will soon be closed, but online registration will continue. Any person, wishing to register his or her name in ABHA should contact health workers, they added.