Bihar Government Sets Deadline for Health Professional Registry Registration
Overview of the Initiative
The Bihar government has established February as the deadline for all government doctors to complete their registration on the Health Professional Registry (HPR) as part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). This initiative aims to integrate all doctors into the state’s growing digital health model, facilitating a shift towards paperless healthcare practices in public facilities.
Functionality of the Health Professional Registry
The HPR is designed to allow doctors to issue digital prescriptions and enhance patient care workflows. As a foundational element of ABDM, it seeks to streamline outpatient consultations, diagnostic referrals, and the distribution of free medications across government health institutions, ranging from district hospitals to remote health sub-centres.
Current Registration Status
Despite the initiative’s goals, implementation has been inconsistent. Of the nearly 12,900 government doctors in Bihar, only about two-thirds have completed their HPR registration. In contrast, the nursing staff have demonstrated a higher compliance rate, with approximately 87% registered on the platform. The private sector shows significantly lower compliance, with less than 12% of doctors and around 14.5% of nurses having registered, according to reports from Hindustan Times.
Actions to Improve Compliance
In response to these discrepancies, state health authorities have instructed district-level leadership to expedite the registration process. Shashank Shekhar Sinha, CEO of the Bihar Swasthya Suraksha Samiti and state mission director of ABDM, emphasized that civil surgeons must ensure that all public sector doctors and nurses complete their HPR registration within the next ten days or by the end of the month at the latest. Sinha further stated, “From March onwards, civil surgeons have been instructed to initiate administrative action, including stopping salary disbursement, for those who fail to register.”
National-Level Recommendations for Compliance
At the national level, the implementing agency has recommended tighter system integration to enhance compliance. Vikram Pagaria, Director at the National Health Authority, suggested linking HPR registration to the login credentials utilized by government doctors and nurses on BHAVYA, the Bihar Health Application Visionary Yojana for All. BHAVYA is an ABDM-aligned digital platform focused on managing patient records and service delivery at health and wellness centres.
Addressing Concerns Among Healthcare Professionals
Senior officials have noted that some doctors exhibit hesitation regarding the Aadhaar-based nature of the HPR, which tracks clinical engagement across multiple facilities. Concerns about absenteeism linked to private practice among government doctors have also been raised, an issue that the digital registry could help identify more transparently.
Policy Reforms and Future Directions
The renewed effort for universal HPR enrollment is part of broader policy reforms being considered by the state government. Plans are underway to prohibit private practice by government doctors as part of the flagship Saat Nischay-3 (Seven Resolves 3.0) program for 2025–30, aimed at promoting an accessible and health-secure life. The cabinet approved this program’s rollout in December of last year.
Stakeholder Consultation on Private Practice Ban
To address opposition against the proposed ban on private practice by government doctors, the health department formed a six-member committee on January 27, chaired by Dr. Rekha Jha, Director-in-Chief (Nursing and Disease Control) of Bihar Health Services. This committee is tasked with consulting stakeholders regarding the proposed prohibition.