India has started piloting a new digital platform that tracks the routine immunisation of mothers and newborn children across India. 

Called U-WIN, the online system digitises the government's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), which is providing protection against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases to around 26.7 million newborns and 29 million expectant mothers each year. 

Through this, records of all vaccinations of pregnant women and newborns and their delivery outcomes will be made. It will remind their upcoming vaccine shots and automatically follow up on dropouts. 

Digital registrations to the portal have been ongoing in pilot areas, which include two districts in each state and Union Territory. 

WHY IT MATTERS

U-WIN, which replicates the Co-WIN platform that was used to track COVID-19 immunisations, is being launched with the aim to raise the protection of pregnant women and newborn children from preventable diseases, such as polio, measles, and rubella, according to a news report. 

It digitises the process of getting vaccinated against such diseases, allowing UIP beneficiaries to book their vaccination slots and receive their certificates instantly through the online portal. 

There is also a plan to create immunisation cards for beneficiaries and link them up to their Ayushman Bharat Heath Accounts to streamline the sharing of health information with healthcare providers.

For healthcare professionals and vaccination programme managers, U-WIN also digitises the process of vaccination session planning. It equips them with real-time access to data on immunisation sessions and vaccination coverage, as well as allows the real-time updating and tracking of the vaccination status of each beneficiary.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

Late last year, it was revealed that the Indian government plans to upgrade the CoWIN platform to track vaccinations against common preventable diseases following a spike in cases. 

CoWIN was regarded as the "crown jewel" of the Digital India Initiative. Launched in January 2021, the locally developed platform allows Indian citizens to book their vaccination slots and download their certificates digitally. The government, which treated the technology as a digital public good, made its API open-source globally six months after it went live.