Illustrative photo (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Digital Immunisation Registry (ImmReg) initiative, initiated by PATH, an international non-profit organisation in Vietnam, received the Healthcare Innovation Award at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 8.
The 400,000-USD award was presented by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a UK-based pharmaceutical company, along with the US organisation Save the Children.
The project has been piloted in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, where time-consuming and error-prone paper-based immunisation registries and reporting systems have long dominated.
ImmReg set up a web-based application that allows local medical staff to use computers and smart phones in managing individual immunisation records and vaccine deliveries. The system stores data of people due for vaccinations and automatically sends them reminder text messages.
Within a year, the initiative reduced the duration of listing monthly registries from two days to 30 minutes. Local immunisation rates increased 3.5 percent to 77.8 percent, while the rate of people vaccinated on schedule raised between 10 and 14 percent.
GSK representative in Vietnam James Strenner said the award acknowledges PATH’s efforts in lowering child mortality in Vietnam.
Save the Children’s country director in Vietnam Gunnar Andersen hoped the funding will help replicate the initiative across the country.-VNA
