Testing a Biometric Identification System to Improve Malaria Vaccine Rates

In 2019, Ghana became one of the first countries to launch a national rollout of the malaria vaccine, yet nearly a third of children who began the four-dose vaccination course dropped out before completing the final dose needed to fully protect themselves against illness, hospitalization, and death from malaria. One cause may be the reliance on paper-based patient records, which make it difficult for healthcare workers to track vaccine doses and follow up with patients. As in many countries, Ghana's national identification system does not enable citizen tracking for public services. Simprints developed a digital system that uses biometrics to verify patient identities and track individual immunization records over time. Working with the Government of Ghana, Simprints is exploring integrating this biometric tool into the national Maternal and Child Health (MCH) e-tracker. This system recognizes which children are due for vaccine doses and then sends automated voice message reminders to caregivers. It also generates patient lists that healthcare workers can use to target their outreach efforts. When children come for immunizations, the biometric system is designed to efficiently and accurately identify the child and match them with their individual health records. With support from the DIV Fund and other partners, Simprints is conducting a randomized controlled trial to measure the impact of its biometric identification system on the proportion of young children fully vaccinated against malaria and other diseases. The study will also assess the cost-effectiveness of the integrated system compared with the status quo approach to patient tracking. With better quality patient data, national health systems may be able to target vaccination efforts with enough precision to reduce dropouts and ultimately increase vaccine coverage. Findings from this study will help determine the cost-effectiveness of biometric identification and inform countries' integration of biometric identification into immunization systems at scale.