The two-day Chintan Shivir, hosted in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, concluded this afternoon with Chief Secretary Anu Garg delivering the valedictory address.
In her speech, Chief Secy Garg emphasised that “good governance in the health sector should focus on facilitating the ease of treatment for every patient.” She highlighted the various concerns that patients face when visiting hospitals, such as registration, consulting the right doctor, submitting samples for tests, obtaining test results, and the ability to consult doctors during OPD hours. Garg called for the development of a system that alleviates these worries through the effective use of technology and AI.
During the session, the National Health Authority (NHA) awarded two accolades to Odisha for its performance in the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY). Chief Secretary Smt. Garg presented the awards and mementoes.
Other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Mizoram, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Andaman & Nicobar, were recognised for best practices in various ABPMJAY indicators. Odisha received awards for its exceptional work in generating and distributing co-branded ABPMJAY-GJAY cards to beneficiaries, having issued 3.46 crore cards in just nine months.
Additionally, five awards were given for outstanding performance in the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). States such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and Gujarat received recognition, with AIIMS Bhubaneswar honoured for its effective linking of digital health records.
Throughout the two-day Shivir, around 25 key dimensions of ABPMJAY and ABDM were discussed by national experts through the sharing of ideas and field experiences. Topics included key performance indicators for ABPMJAY and ABDM, time targets for pre-authorisation approvals for patients upon hospital admission, pharmacy and drug registries, strategies for adopting ABDM, tools to prevent potential fraud, timely claims settlement procedures for empanelled hospitals, the benefits of obtaining NABH certification for hospitals, and the application of AI tools in analysing healthcare dynamics and service delivery.
NHA Chief Executive Officer Sunil Kumar Barnwal praised Odisha for setting a high benchmark and serving as a model for organising a national-level Chintan Shivir. He emphasised the importance of creating digital data in both public and private health facilities to facilitate informed decision-making.
The discussions were attended by various senior officials, including Principal Secretary of Health, Rajasthan, Gayatri Rathore; Principal Secretary of Health, Meghalaya, Sampath Kumar; Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, Odisha, Smt. Aswathy S., and CEO of the State Health Assurance Society, Dr Brundha D.
Furthermore, officials from NHA, 27 states, and 7 territories participated in the deliberations. The vote of thanks was presented by Samuel V. Pachuau, Joint Secretary of NHA.
