PCI Mandates ABHA Number Registration for Pharmacists

Pharmacists are required to verify their DIGI-PHARMed profiles using their ABHA numbers within 45 days of the issuance of this circular.

The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has issued a directive requiring all pharmacists who do not possess an Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) number to obtain one and complete their registration on the DIGI-PHARMed portal.

This move aims to integrate pharmacists into the Healthcare Professional Registry (HPR) under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

The PCI is conducting a verification process for all registered pharmacists on the DIGI-PHARMed portal to enable seamless integration with the HPR.

Pharmacists are required to verify their DIGI-PHARMed profiles using their ABHA numbers within 45 days of the issuance of this circular.

Failure to comply within the stipulated timeline will result in the deactivation of their profiles on the DIGI-PHARMed portal, rendering them unusable for future purposes.

Registration Process

Pharmacists who are registering for the first time must ensure their accounts are verified with an ABHA number during registration. Unverified profiles will be considered incomplete.

Those without an ABHA number must first create one using Aadhaar before proceeding with DIGI-PHARMed registration.

The PCI has also directed pharmacy institutions to ensure that all their faculty members have ABHA-verified profiles.

From the 2025–26 academic session, only ABHA-verified faculty profiles will be considered during Standard Inspection Format (SIF) applications.

Institutions are expected to actively monitor compliance within their faculty and report any issues to the Council.

The Council has emphasized that all documents uploaded during registration must be authentic and validated.

Any discovery of incorrect or fraudulent documents at any stage will result in the concerned pharmacist's profile being blacklisted.

Pharmacists and institutions facing technical difficulties during the registration process can reach out to the PCI via email or telephone for support.

Role of ABHA & HPR

The Healthcare Professional Registry (HPR) is a national repository of registered and verified healthcare professionals across various systems of medicine, including modern medicine, dentistry, Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homeopathy.

It also includes nurses and practitioners delivering healthcare services in India.

The ABHA number serves as a unique identifier, enabling the authentication of healthcare professionals and facilitating the integration of health records across systems, with the informed consent of patients.

The repository ensures that only suitably trained and ethically compliant practitioners are registered.

This initiative is part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), which aims to empower healthcare professionals to be part of India’s digital health ecosystem.

By leveraging unique healthcare professional IDs, the HPR enables last-mile connectivity between healthcare practitioners and patients.

The initiative promotes transparency, accessibility, and accountability in India’s healthcare system while ensuring that practitioners are qualified and verified to provide medical services.

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