During a recent visit to Ghana, the Vaccine Alliance embarked on the trail-blazing integration of biometric technology into the healthcare system in a third-world country, which aimed at supporting AI-powered solutions to enhance lives with vaccine delivery in low and middle-income countries. The project underscored where the value of AI can be positioned to make improvements in access and quality in healthcare for citizens, whether gaps with ID and registration persist.
The system could benefit from digital health innovations to enhance vaccine delivery, whilst a staggering 150 million children globally remain unregistered. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for over 90 million people who are unregistered to receive the essential health services and immunisations they need. Large populations feel “invisible” to healthcare and government systems, states VaccineWork, a digital platform run by the Vaccine Alliance.
With the lack of ID ownership making it difficult to trace vaccine delivery and coverage gaps, UK-based non-profit Simprints has developed the world’s first open-source biometric digital ID for this area of the world. Prioritising privacy and powered by AI, their technology enables accurate identification and tracking of patients, ensuring life-saving services reach even the most remote communities.
In Ghana, collaboration between Simprints and the Ghana Health Service using the privacy-first biometric ID has resulted in the creation of over 65,000 unique medical records. This has eliminated duplicate entries and empowered Community Health Workers with reliable datasets to monitor and boost immunisation rates in good time to cater for individuals who may drop out of routine immunisation programmes, and mothers and children.
Simprints’ success in other countries demonstrates its potential as in Bangladesh, maternal health coverage rose by 39%, and newborn care by 19%, following biometric integration. Over 23,000 measles and rubella vaccinations have also been biometrically verified there.
Gavi’s continued backing of such innovations for patient identification reaffirms the importance of digital transformation in global health. The insights from Ghana’s pioneering efforts, which the Vaccine Alliance has spotlighted, are expected to shape broader strategies for expanding tech-driven healthcare solutions across the region.
