“Vietnam has some 1.7 million babies born per year, where many have missed their vaccinations which means that vaccination rates remains low in some communities”, as reported by Deputy Minister of health Nguyen Thanh Long. “The application of IT to provide immunization information, management, and statistics will help increase immunization activities in the country.”
In March, Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam launched the National Immunization Information System (NIIS) in Hanoi which is based on iCloud technology. This system evolved from ImmReg, a digital immunization registry that enables health workers to use computers, smartphones, and tablets to enter and search for immunization records, and then send short message service reminders.
In addition, VaxTrak a software program allows users at various levels of the health system to track vaccine stock and report monthly immunization activity which has decreased the likelihood of stock-outs and at the same time, reduces waste.
NIIS tracks immunization for children from birth and for pregnant women. Neonatal units can enter data regarding each baby born in the hospital into the system. This information is then readily accessible at the child’s local Health Center.
The NIIS is also available to a broader variety of healthcare providers. In addition to neonatal units and public vaccination providers, fee-based immunization facilities like private clinics are able to contribute and access NIIS.
It is the aim of the NIIS to track the immunization of any individual in Vietnam from birth until the end of life. NIIS was rolled out in June 2017 and so far, the system has been used by more than 17,000 immunization stations and 12,000 health clinics in Vietnam.