Pan India rollout of U-WIN to track routine immunisations likely by Aug end

NEW DELHI: The U-WIN portal, a replication of the Covid-19 vaccine management system Co-WIN, is set for a pan-India launch likely by the end of August, aiming to maintain an electronic registry of routine immunisations, official sources said.

Currently, U-WIN is in pilot mode across all states and Union Territories, except for West Bengal, which is yet to start uploading data, the sources told PTI, adding that it is still under consideration in the state.

The U-WIN platform captures every vaccination event for pregnant women and children under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman had announced in the interim Budget for 2024-2025 that U-WIN, along with intensified efforts under Mission Indradhanush, will be rolled out nationwide for managing immunisation.

"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," an official told PTI.

"The portal will target 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore infants (0-1 years) annually by providing 11 vaccines against 12 vaccine preventable diseases -- diphtheria, measles, rubella, and tetanus through more than 1.2 crore vaccination sessions across the country," the official added.

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, the officials explained. It will enable the digitisation of session planning, and updating vaccination status on a real-time basis, they added.

"Also, there is no mechanism of individual tracking. There is also lack of awareness among beneficiaries about session location and date especially in urban areas and iniquity in immunisation coverage in states and UTs," another official said.

"Besides, another major issue is that immunisation at private health facilities is not recorded," the official added. The U-WIN is going to be the single source of information for immunisation services which will record pregnancy details and outcome, newborn registration and immunisation at birth.

It will update vaccination status, and delivery outcome, among others, on real time, the official said. As of July 9, 2024, the pilot has registered 5.33 crore beneficiaries on U-WIN. Over 83.55 lakh vaccination sessions have been digitally conducted, and 18.15 crore vaccine doses have been recorded.

The platform aims to reduce zero-dose and left-out children through a name-based tracking mechanism and empower citizens with anytime, anywhere access to vaccination services, particularly benefiting migratory populations, the official said. "The U-WIN portal is likely to be launched pan India in August end," the official stated.

Citizens can self-register for vaccinations via the U-WIN web portal or its Android mobile application, select preferred vaccination centres, and schedule appointments.

Automated SMS alerts inform citizens about registration confirmations, administered doses, and upcoming dose reminders, ensuring timely and age-appropriate vaccinations. It also facilitates the creation of Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs for comprehensive health record maintenance.

The U-WIN also supports the frontline workers to digitally record all vaccination events for children and pregnant women for complete, accurate and easy record maintenance, the official said.