The Government is all set to launch the U-WIN portal where pregnant women and children will be able to track their vaccination routines and more.
The U-WIN portal, a replica of the Co-WIN COVID-19 vaccine management system, will be launched nationwide likely by the end of August, with an aim to maintain an electronic record of routine immunisations, official sources said. Currently, U-WIN is on pilot mode in all states and Union Territories except West Bengal, which is yet to start uploading data, sources told PTI, adding that it is still being considered in the state.
The U-WIN platform captures all vaccination events for pregnant women and children under the Universal Immunization Program (UIP).
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced in the Interim Budget 2024-25 that U-WIN, along with intensified efforts under Mission Indradhanush, will be rolled out across the country to manage immunisation.
“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 million pregnant women and 2.6 million infants (0-1 years) annually, providing them with 11 vaccines against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases (diphtheria, measles, rubella and tetanus) through more than 1.2 million vaccination sessions across the country,” the official added.
The platform generates a uniform, digitally verifiable, QR code-based electronic vaccination certificate, similar to the Covid vaccination certificate, which citizens can access at any time with a single click.
Vaccination records under UIP are maintained manually as of now, so this will eliminate the hassle of maintaining a physical record, officials explained.
It will allow for the digitalization of session planning and the updating of vaccination status in real time, they added.
“Moreover, there is no individual monitoring mechanism. There is also a lack of awareness among beneficiaries about the location and date of sessions, especially in urban areas, and there is inequality in immunisation coverage across states and Union Territories,” said another official.
“Another major problem is that immunizations in private health centers are not recorded,” the official added.
U-WIN will be the single source of information for immunization services, recording pregnancy details and outcome, registration of newborns and immunization at birth. It will update vaccination status and delivery outcome, among others, in real time, the official said.
As of July 9, 2024, the pilot had registered 5.33 million beneficiaries on U-WIN. Over 83.55 lakh vaccination sessions had been conducted digitally and 18.15 million vaccine doses had been registered.
The platform aims to reduce the number of unvaccinated and excluded children through a name-based tracking mechanism and empower citizens with anytime, anywhere access to vaccination services, particularly benefiting migrant populations, the official said.
“The U-WIN portal is likely to be launched across India by the end of August,” the official said.
Citizens can register for the vaccine through the U-WIN web portal or its Android mobile app, select preferred vaccination centres and schedule appointments. Automatic SMS alerts inform citizens about registration confirmations, doses administered and reminders for upcoming doses, ensuring timely and age-appropriate vaccination.
It also facilitates creation of Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs for comprehensive health record keeping.
U-WIN also supports frontline workers to digitally record all vaccination events for children and pregnant women for complete, accurate and easy record keeping, the official said.
