Govt launches Aarogya Setu 2.0 to strengthen digital health ecosystem

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday launched Aarogya Setu 2.0 and a series of digital health initiatives aimed at strengthening India's Digital Public Infrastructure for health.

The Health Minister described the occasion as “a significant milestone in India's journey towards building a healthier nation through digital innovation”.

“The revamped Aarogya Setu application will enable people of all age groups – from mothers and children to youth, the elderly and those living with chronic illnesses – to seamlessly access a wide range of health services,” he said.

He stated that “under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has continuously expanded the scope of healthcare through transformative initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat, while strengthening linkages across primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care”.

He said that the launch of these digital health initiatives marks another important step towards making healthcare more integrated, accessible and citizen-centric.

The digital initiatives launched include Aarogya Setu 2.0, Ayushman App, Ayushman Sarathi WhatsApp Chatbot, National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX), Insurance Plan FHIR Object Creator, e-Sushrut Clinic, Unified Health Interface (UHI), Drug Registry, Common LOINC Codes for India (CLCI) and Bharat Health Terminology Service (BHTS).

Those who attended the event included Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of AYUSH; Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare; and Dr. M. Srinivas, Member (Health), NITI Aayog.

Jadhav described the initiative as a significant step towards strengthening India's digital health ecosystem.

He highlighted that, under the leadership of PM Modi, the government has adopted a whole-of-government approach to integrate the AYUSH system with modern healthcare, creating a more holistic, patient-centric healthcare framework.

Anupriya Patel highlighted that digital health records will enable women to seamlessly access their medical information wherever they go, ensuring continuity of care.

She further stated that the initiative would also ease the administrative burden on frontline health workers, including ASHA and Anganwadi workers, thereby improving service delivery.

Nadda also launched the e-Sushrut@Clinic, a lightweight Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) developed by C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing), to address these challenges by providing a simple, affordable, and user-friendly digital solution tailored for small outpatient clinics.

It is proposed to open this HMIS for government PHCs, HWCs, Subcenters and private clinics. Currently, 800-plus health facilities are onboarded on eSushrut@Clinic, generating over 680 health records.

C-DAC is also implementing the eSushrut software, which is being installed at more than 15 AIIMS and in various State government hospitals. The National Health Authority (NHA), as part of its role in increasing the adoption of Digital Health and ABDM, is signing an MoU with C-DAC.

The cost of eSushrut@clinic is estimated at Rs 499/month for 5 users. Under the NHA MoU, a discount of Rs 200 will be given, bringing the effective rate to Rs 299/month. The software will be offered at no cost for the initial 3 months. Each additional user beyond the included 5-user limit will be charged at Rs 50 per user.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by Education Post)