If you have visited a hospital, clinic or diagnostic lab anywhere in India in the last couple of years, you have probably been asked one question: "Do you have an ABHA number?" ABHA — the Ayushman Bharat Health Account — is quickly becoming as important to your healthcare journey as your Aadhaar card is to your identity. In this guide, we explain what ABHA is, why it matters, and how you can create yours online in just a few minutes.
What Is ABHA?
ABHA is a 14-digit unique health identification number issued under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), a flagship initiative of the National Health Authority (NHA), Government of India. Formatted as XX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX, your ABHA number acts as a digital thread that links all your health records — prescriptions, lab reports, discharge summaries and consultation notes — across hospitals, clinics and telemedicine platforms like Rejuvenate Digital Health.
Alongside the ABHA number, you also get an ABHA address (something like yourname@abdm), which works like an email ID for your health records and makes it easy to share your history with a new doctor without carrying a folder full of paper reports.
Why Every Patient Needs an ABHA ID
- One health record, everywhere: Your prescriptions and reports from different doctors and hospitals can be linked to a single ABHA, so nothing gets lost between visits.
- Faster OPD registration: Many hospitals now let you register for an appointment in seconds using your ABHA number instead of filling out paper forms.
- Consent-based sharing: You decide who can access your health records and for how long — nothing is shared without your explicit consent.
- Better continuity of care: A new doctor can see your relevant medical history (with your permission), reducing repeat tests and improving diagnosis.
- Government scheme integration: ABHA is the backbone for several public health programmes and is increasingly required for insurance and scheme-linked treatments.
How to Create Your ABHA ID Online
Creating an ABHA number takes less than five minutes and can be done in two main ways:
1. Using Aadhaar-based OTP verification
- Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number on the ABHA creation screen.
- An OTP is sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
- Verify the OTP — your demographic details (name, gender, date of birth) are fetched automatically from Aadhaar.
- Choose a unique ABHA address, such as yourname@abdm.
- Your ABHA number and ABHA card are generated instantly.
2. Using your mobile number or Driving Licence
If you prefer not to use Aadhaar, you can also generate an ABHA ID using just your mobile number, or by verifying your identity through your Driving Licence details.
At Rejuvenate Digital Health, patients can create and link their ABHA directly from their patient dashboard before or after booking a teleconsultation — no need to visit a separate government portal.
Is Your ABHA Data Safe?
Yes. ABDM is built on a consent-driven architecture — your health records are not stored in one central government database. Instead, they remain with the hospital or clinic that created them, and are only shared when you explicitly grant consent through the ABDM consent manager framework. No provider, including Rejuvenate, can view your linked records without your permission.
ABHA and Rejuvenate Digital Health
As a digital health platform working towards full ABDM compliance, Rejuvenate Digital Health supports:
- ABHA creation and linking for patients directly from the patient portal
- ABHA number capture at the time of booking a doctor consultation
- Care-context linking of finalised e-prescriptions to your ABHA record, so your consultation history stays connected to your national health ID
Whether you are booking your first teleconsultation or managing ongoing treatment for a chronic condition, having an ABHA ID makes your healthcare journey simpler, safer and more connected. If you haven't created yours yet, you can do it in minutes the next time you log in to your Rejuvenate Digital Health account.