Pan-India rollout of U-WIN to track routine immunisations likely by the end of August
NEW DELHI: The Central government is poised to launch the U-WIN portal nationwide by the end of August, marking a significant step in digitising and streamlining the country's routine immunisation program. The platform, modelled after the successful Co-WIN system used for COVID-19 vaccinations, aims to create an electronic registry for the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman first announced the nationwide rollout of U-WIN in the interim Budget for 2024-2025, coupling it with intensified efforts under Mission Indradhanush to bolster immunisation coverage.
"The U-WIN will ensure timely administration of vaccine doses by digitally recording every vaccination event under the Universal Immunisation Programme among all pregnant women and children aged 0-5 years," a senior official said.
The ambitious project targets 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore infants annually, offering 11 vaccines against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases through over 1.2 crore vaccination sessions across India.
The platform generates a uniform QR-based, digitally verifiable e-vaccination certificate, similar to Covid vaccination certificate, which can be accessed anytime by the citizens through a single click.
Vaccination records under UIP are being maintained manually as of now. So this will do away with the hassle of keeping a physical record, officials explained.
The pilot phase, which began earlier this year, has shown promising results. As of July 9, 2024, the system has registered 5.33 crore beneficiaries, conducted 83.55 lakh digital vaccination sessions, and recorded 18.15 crore vaccine doses.
However, challenges remain. West Bengal is yet to start uploading data to the platform, with implementation still under consideration in the state.
Officials highlight that U-WIN addresses several longstanding issues in India’s immunisation efforts, including the lack of individual tracking, awareness gaps about session locations and dates, and the absence of a mechanism to record immunisations at private health facilities.
“The U-WIN portal is likely to be launched pan India in August end,” the official stated, signalling a new era in India’s public health infrastructure.
As the launch date approaches, health officials are optimistic about U-WIN’s potential to reduce the number of zero-dose and left-out children, particularly benefiting
migratory populations through improved access to vaccination services.
