The COVID-19 global crisis has undoubtedly resulted in significant changes in healthcare systems around the world. One of the most significant effects would be its role in providing impetus to accelerate the global digital transformation of healthcare. By providing tools for the planning and management of immunisation programmes, digital technologies can play a critical role in mass vaccinations.
Digital tools, such as contact tracing and self-quarantine monitoring apps, and contactless transactions, have proven useful in the fight against COVID-19 by making it more effective and efficient to control and prevent the spread of the disease. Artificial intelligence and big data analytics support decision-making and targeting of the most vulnerable households during the pandemic.
While the rapid development of COVID19 vaccines is remarkable, successfully vaccinating the global population presents numerous challenges, from production to distribution, deployment, and, most importantly, acceptance. Trust in vaccines is critical, and it is critically dependant on governments’ ability to communicate the benefits of vaccination and to deliver vaccines safely and effectively.
To address this, the Philippines leading software solutions company debuts the newest addition to its 24 existing digital platforms.
The company hopes to provide an end-to-end digital tool that allows employers to digitally manage and administer their respective vaccination programme for the workplace – from supply chains, inventory, and vaccine administration—with the guidance and expertise of Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc. (MPHHI) in the development of the platform.
MPHHI President and CEO says, “Healthcare is so crucial to keep our country running and to ensure public safety. The current Covid health crisis has limited us in many ways. Against all odds, the industry must adapt and see to it that healthcare remains steadfast and accessible. We, at MPHHI, recognise the importance of digital tools to speed up the delivery of vaccination services crucial to our country’s return to normalcy, which is why we have closely collaborated to co-develop an excellent vaccination platform.
A robust IT platform for vaccination management integrates all parties involved in the vaccination process, from the pharmaceutical manufacturer to the vaccination centre to the citizens to be vaccinated, in a holistic manner. This ensures that the entire vaccination process runs smoothly, as well as a high level of information transparency.
The vaccination platform is powered by comprehensive backend analytics that enables companies to monitor and track their company-wide inoculation initiatives, among others. Further, it is ready for third-party system integrations.
As of last month, OpenGov Asia reported that NEDA had recently advised the government to accelerate the implementation of the vaccination programme following the IATF’s decision to expand the A4 vaccine priority group to include all workers who work outside their homes, including government employees. The added protection against COVID-19 will give workers more confidence to go out and earn a living while reducing virus transmission to their families.
In order to manage the sudden influx of infected patients, numerous operational systems were also deployed. Queue management systems and facility-based systems were established to aid in crowd control and enforce social distancing measures, effectively limiting the virus’s spread.
Digital vaccine rollout solutions should be secure, scalable, customisable, and adaptable to changes. Look for interoperable, open-source applications that can be deployed quickly and cheaply by leveraging existing data systems. In general, open-source software can be freely downloaded, used, and modified.
Given the urgency of the situation, consider starting with a system with basic functionality. Using mobile and web-based applications, enable real-time analytics and reporting on vaccine inventory and other critical information for informed and timely decision-making. Offline vaccine administration modes, on the other hand, maybe required in remote areas with poor internet connectivity. Data collection, use, and processing should follow data protection and privacy principles.