Simprints highlights Gavi support for privacy-first biometrics for vaccines program in Ghana

Simprints welcomed Gavi CEO Dr. Sania Nishtar on a visit to Ghana to observe pioneering vaccine delivery that utilizes biometrics.

Ghana has been leading the way in the adoption of new tools like biometrics to improve patient identification. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has collaborated with Simprints to use privacy-first biometric ID within its digital health registries to track the delivery of routine immunizations and boost coverage rates.

Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance is a public-private global health partnership that aims to increase access to immunization in low income countries. Simprints CEO Toby Norman said it was an honor to welcome Dr. Nishtar to see their technology in action in clinics.

“In partnership with Ghana’s Ministry of Health, we’re deploying Simprints privacy-first biometric ID to trace the delivery of malaria and routine immunisations to rapidly identify dropouts or zero-dose children,” he said.

The visit underscored Gavi’s support for innovation in healthcare delivery to reach the most remote and underserved communities, and reinforced the importance of partnerships and technological advancements in achieving global health goals.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than half of the world’s unregistered children, with around 90 million lacking reliable ID, making them invisible to officials and health systems. This makes it especially challenging to trace the delivery of essential healthcare such as life-saving vaccines; to respond in real time to dropouts or coverage gaps.

Simprints has enabled the creation of more than 65,000 unique medical records, eliminating duplicates and ensuring a reliable dataset for immunization tracking.

Gavi CEO Dr. Nishtar was shown the Simprints ID app at the Ominako Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) facility in the Eastern Region of Ghana by a Community Health Worker (CHW). Using the app, CHWs can effectively monitor vaccine delivery, allowing for rapid identification and intervention for those who may drop out of routine immunization programs.

The workers have reported a substantial reduction in workload owing to the use of biometrics, according to Simprints, saving valuable time and effort, which allows for increased capacity to care for more mothers and children.

Previously, Gavi collaborated with Simprints to deliver a pilot programme in Bangladesh working closely with the Bangladesh Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). Simprints technology was deployed across 50 clinics in Dhaka and Moulvibazar. In 2024, Simprints said it delivered more than 551,000 biometrically verified health services including vaccines, surgeries and deworming treatments across its global operations.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  Ghana  |  healthcare  |  identity verification  |  patient identification  |  SimPrints