IIT-(ISM) alumnus steers health ID enrolments past 90-crore mark

Dhanbad: India has crossed a major milestone with the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (Abha) enrolments surpassing 90 crore nationwide, with the system being steered by Sunil Kumar Barnwal, an alumnus of IIT(ISM), Dhanbad, and chief executive officer of the National Health Authority (NHA).

The expansion is being hailed as a key step towards building one of the world’s largest and most interoperable digital health ecosystem. Abha provides every citizen a unique digital health ID, enabling secure storage and seamless sharing of personal health records across healthcare providers and platforms.

Ashok Kumar, general secretary of Pan-IIT Alumni India and former president of the IIT(ISM) Dhanbad Alumni Association, congratulated Barnwal and said the achievement shows how technology and public policy can jointly address national challenges.

“After Aadhaar, UPI and DigiLocker, Abha represents the next major success story in India’s digital public infrastructure journey,” Kumar said.

He added that the initiative would make healthcare services more efficient, transparent and citizen-centric. According to Kumar, digital health records will improve continuity of care, reduce unnecessary diagnostic tests and make healthcare services more accessible to millions.

Kumar also said alumni such as Barnwal continue to contribute significantly to the nation’s development and remain a source of pride for IIT(ISM), Dhanbad.

The institute extended heartfelt congratulations to Barnwal for the milestone and expressed confidence that, under his leadership, India’s digital health mission will continue delivering transformative results for healthcare access and outcomes.