New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS): With the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) card, people can access their medical records anywhere, anytime all over India, in effect, having these on the palm of their hands, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Sunday.

The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the Ayushmann Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) services of AIIMS Bibinagar and witnessing the practical demonstration of real time video specialist consultation.

The ABDM is the initiative started by the government to digitalise health records across the country and includes QR code-based patient registration, and the Health Management Information System (HMIS) software to manage data in any hospital including many digital services like patient registration, patient queue management, lab information system, doctors desk, OP Billing etc.

The Health Minister also delivered the Maharshi Charak shapath to the newly-joined batch of MBBS students (2022-23) and congratulated the first- year students.

"AIIMS is a prestigious institute. Its reputation is such that, people think that if there is no treatment available at AIIMS, then there is no treatment available elsewhere in the whole country," he said.

Mandaviya called upon every medical student to inculcate the two important traits for success, commitment and dedication. He reiterated that health is never to be treated as business, as it is a service to humanity.

Recalling how India supplied critical medicines to the world at the pre-Covid prices without taking advantage of the crisis, he said that was in sync with the principle of 'Vasudaiva Kutumbakam'. He exhorted the teachers at the AIIMS to ensure that the young doctors accord highest priority to serve the poorest of the poor. He also had lunch with students in the canteen and interacted with them.