New Delhi: It's possible that carrying vaccination cards for children and pregnant women, struggling to track the next vaccination, and other issues of this nature will soon be a thing of the past. The government has now replicated the Co-WIN platform to establish an electronic registry for routine vaccinations.
What Is U-WIN?
India's COVID-19 vaccination program's "digital backbone," the platform that replicates Co-WIN, was launched on January 11 in 65 districts. The pilot program to digitize India's Universal Immunisation Program (UIP), which goes by the name U-WIN, has been implemented in two districts of each state and Union Territory.
Whom Will This Platform Benefit?
According to official sources who spoke with PTI, the platform will be used to register and vaccinate each pregnant woman, record her delivery outcome, register each newborn delivery, administer birth doses, and record all subsequent vaccination events.
Beneficiaries would be able to schedule vaccination appointments in advance. Additionally, it will permit mobility.
"Once the whole immunisation programme is digitised, beneficiaries will get certificates on the spot and they can also download them if they want to. These certificates will be stored in digi-lockers," an official elaborated.
An effective surveillance system will contribute to the creation of an evidence base that will make it possible to plan and implement effective interventions.
How Does It work?
The single source of information for immunisation services, vaccination status updates, delivery outcomes, session planning, and reports like antigen-wise coverage, among other things, will be the U-WIN.
"There will be digital registrations of all pregnant women and newborns for individualised tracking for vaccination, reminders for upcoming doses and follow-up of dropouts.
"Healthcare workers and programme managers will be able to generate real-time data of routine immunisation sessions and vaccination coverage for better planning and vaccine distribution," an official explained quoted by news agency PTI.
All states and districts will be able to access a common database to track and vaccinate beneficiaries, and a vaccine acknowledgement and immunization card linked to the ABHA ID (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) will be generated for children and pregnant women.
In addition, the official told PTI that citizens can book appointments and view nearby scheduled routine vaccination sessions through the platform.
In 65 districts, staff and healthcare professionals have been trained on all U-WIN modules, and all states and UTs have been made aware of the pilot's functionalities and goals.