Children's medical records will no longer be lost; the Gujarat government has launched a 'Health Passport'—find out how to get one..

Documents related to children's medical reports, check-ups, and treatments are often scattered across different places, making them difficult to locate when needed. To address this issue, the Gujarat government has introduced the 'Health Passport' scheme. Under this initiative, a Health Passport will be created for every child in the state. It will contain all essential health-related information from birth up to the age of 18. This ensures that doctors have immediate access to the complete record during treatment, while parents are spared the hassle of maintaining separate files for their child's health history.

**What is a Health Passport?**

The Health Passport will serve as a comprehensive record containing all vital health information about the child. It will document details such as the child's name, age, vaccination status, health check-ups, medical conditions, height, weight, and physical and mental development. This allows doctors to access all necessary information in one place during treatment, while parents no longer need to keep track of various separate medical documents.

**Annual Health Check-ups**

The Gujarat government will conduct health check-ups for approximately 1.89 crore children annually. To facilitate this, 992 mobile health teams have been deployed. These teams will visit Anganwadis, schools, Madrasas, Gurukuls, and special schools to examine the children. Following the check-up, the Health Passport will be updated annually to incorporate the latest medical information.

**Secure Digital Records**

While parents will retain a physical copy of the Health Passport, the complete record will also be securely stored on a digital platform. This ensures that a new passport can be easily obtained if the original is lost or damaged. The government states that the scheme's objective goes beyond merely creating medical records; it also aims to simplify the process for parents to manage their children's health information.

**How ​​to Get a Health Passport**

No separate form needs to be filled out to obtain the Health Passport.
Parents are not required to submit any additional documents or paperwork for this purpose.
The record will be generated automatically when the child undergoes a health check-up at their school, Anganwadi, Madrasa, Gurukul, or special school. A health passport will be created for the child once the health check-up is completed.
For children up to the age of 5 who do not attend school, the health passport will be updated periodically by doctors at the Primary Health Centre (PHC).
For school-going children, the health passport will be updated annually by the school.

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