Your health records: India.

A take-home sheet for people at the session. Other countries: United States · United Kingdom · Canada · Australia · New Zealand · Philippines.

Moraph for Good · Reach

Your health records: India

Handout · moraph.org/commons/sessions/reach/your-health-records

In many countries you have a right to see your own health records and get a copy. This sheet sets out the steps, with the rules for where you live in the box below.

Asking for your records

Check the patient portal first; some records may already be there.
Ask the provider how they take requests: a form, email, letter or in person.
Say what you want, for which dates, and how you want it: paper, electronic or to view.
Keep a copy of your request and note the date.

What to expect

You may be asked to prove who you are.
Ask about any cost before they start.
If they refuse any part, ask for the reason in writing.

Checking and correcting

Check medicines, allergies, conditions and contact details.
Ask in writing for a correction, with a copy of the page.
If they disagree, ask for your own statement to be added.

Keeping records safe

Store copies somewhere private and think before sharing them.
Use a strong, unique password for any online account with your records.
Sign out fully on a shared or public computer.

In India

ABHA number. An Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) is a 14-digit number, part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, used to link your health records from different providers. Anyone can create one free of cost. Getting an ABHA number does not enrol you in the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY insurance scheme.
Your consent. Your digital health records are shared with another doctor or hospital only with your consent. Consent can be given separately for each record, so linking records to your ABHA doesn’t mean sharing all of them.
Where records are kept. Health records stay with the providers that created them; the digital mission doesn’t store medical records itself but lets records be exchanged after you consent. An ABHA address, which looks like name@abdm, is a username for seeing and sharing your records in a personal health record app such as the government’s ABHA app.
Private providers. ABHA can be used outside government hospitals, but each private provider decides whether to use it.
Data protection rights. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and its Rules, notified in November 2025 with an 18-month phased timeline for organisations to comply, give people rights to access, correct, update or erase their digital personal data and to nominate someone to act for them. Organisations must answer such requests within 90 days, and complaints can be filed online with the Data Protection Board.

Official places to check:

Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare): www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2017129&reg=48&lang=2
Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare): www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1847427&reg=48&lang=2
Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Electronics and IT): www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2190014&reg=3&lang=2

More free official help in India: moraph.org/commons/help/health-access/in

General information, not advice about your own situation. Checked 20 October 2026. If an official source says something different, it is right. Free to copy and adapt. moraph.org/commons/sessions/reach/your-health-records