Advances of the Electronic Immunization Records

Now it is possible to add to the cardboard National Immunization Booklet a chip that collects the information into an electronic system, which has allowed having Electronic Immunization Records (Cartilla Electrónica de Vacunación, CEV) in México.

Vaccinators of the Ministry of Health will have tablets where they can download information that will also concentrate on an app.

In fact, this information will be available to be consulted and downloaded from a smartphones in the near future.

This was possible thanks to Carlos Slim Foundation (CSF), which “worried about the collapse of the national vaccination registry set itself to the task of creating an alternative. Today’s technology already allows ensuring the correct sequence of vaccines and knowing timely which vaccines are pending to be applied and to whom,” said Dr. Roberto Tapia Conyer, director general of the Foundation.

In addition, he explained that the system offers information that specifies vaccines stock and where it is necessary to supply more; and offers continuously train to vaccinators.

Dr. Miguel Betancourt, CSF Director of Global Solutions, said the pilot project started in 2014 in Toluca and Colima, when 2,000 children were registered in the system. “Since 2015, we started working in [sanitary] jurisdictions in different states; we were like in 400 health centers. Today we have 200 thousand children who already have their Electronic Immunization Record and we have information of 2.5 million doses of vaccines. We are already in 800 health centers, but the idea is to reach 1,200 units of the Ministry of Health and 2.2 million children by the end of the year,” he said.

Currently they work in some jurisdictions of Mexico City, Colima, the State of Mexico, Guanajuato Hidalgo and Queretaro.

Betancourt indicated that the CEV will ensure that children receive timely and effectively their vaccines. CSF has invested in this project about 370 million pesos; additionally Gonzalo Río Arronte Foundation has also participated with investment, while the company Samsung donated a thousand tablets.