Enhancing community-based vaccine delivery with ethical biometric technology

Mobiklinic community health workers giving a presentation

Andrew Ddembe, Mobiklinic CEO, writes a guest blog reflecting on the collaboration between Mobiklinic and Simprints.

Andrew Dmembe, CEO of MobiklinicCommunity health systems are poised to play a critical role in the delivery of essential healthcare goods and services, such as vaccines, to remote and underserved populations. Community health workers (CHWs) bring extensive knowledge and reach to the communities they serve. The advent of digital health technologies, such as digital forms and mobile biometrics, has introduced unique modalities to synergize with and optimize CHW output by enhancing information efficiency. Biometrics technology allows for the unique identification and verification of each vaccine beneficiary, improving the authenticity and integrity of data collected by CHWs and enabling accountability for each vaccine delivered through community health systems.

We had an opportunity to integrate Simprints’ ethical mobile facial recognition technology into the Mobiklinic digital health tool to deliver and trace COVID-19 vaccines in the Buikwe district of Uganda.

Collaboration results

  • Enrolling more than 2,500 community members, we observed a 161% year-to-year increase in COVID-19 vaccine delivery.
  • CHWs successfully identified, verified, followed up, and mobilized community members for follow-up doses.
  • Besides guaranteeing the identification of beneficiaries, Simprints’ biometrics reduced the enrolment and identification time of beneficiaries by 80% and 63%, respectively, significantly boosting the efficiency of CHWs.

Simprints’ biometrics technology demonstrated outstanding ease of use, adoptability, interoperability, and reliability in a setting with low internet bandwidth. This must have contributed to the 90% acceptance and satisfaction rates among CHWs and beneficiaries of community health services.

Possibilities unlocked by Mobiklinic using Simprints biometrics

Faster, community-based delivery of vaccines: Vaccination will be critical in addressing climate-related infectious disease outbreaks like malaria, cholera, and dysentery, according to GAVI. These vaccines need to be delivered quickly to mitigate the projected human toll. The efficiency created by Simprints’ biometrics will be critical in ensuring expedited immunization and protecting people from these infectious diseases.

Continuity of social services amidst disasters: With prevailing conflicts and emerging climate-related disasters, CHWs equipped with mobile, ethical biometrics, can accurately identify, verify, and serve displaced people. This ensures the continuity of critical healthcare and expedited delivery of other humanitarian goods and services to beneficiaries with incompatible identification documents.

Reaching the underserved, delivering equity with dignity

Community health services are primarily used by women, children, and the elderly at the bottom of the economic pyramid. This group stands to lose the most from any conflicts or climate-related disasters. By strengthening the health system that serves rural and urban poor communities, women, and children living in poverty will be guaranteed access to critical health and humanitarian services, offering them better fortunes in longer lives.

We are glad to be part of Simprints’ first 10 years and look forward to delivering more impact together, as we extend access to quality healthcare to all, especially in underserved communities.

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