“Wellness Pass Solution” final project Evaluation
In December 2021, the Ministry of Health of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Gavi and Mastercard joined forces in a public-private partnership to develop the “Wellness Pass” solution. This solution allows the capture, storage and analysis of childhood vaccination data using secure digital cards and card reading terminals connected to a central database. An 18-month pilot project was implemented with technical assistance from OASYS to support the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in Mauritania. In its experimental phase, the “Wellness Pass” solution was deployed in 18 health structures selected from the 3 willayas of Nouakchott. EpiLinks conducted the final evaluation of the pilot project to assess the performance of the solution observed in the participating structures, estimate its impact on improving immunization data and services, identify possible challenges, and formulate recommendations for scaling up. The evaluation included a field survey with a sample of health workers and parents users, analysis of data from the online dashboard of the Wellness Pass MasterCard solution, integration of data from the Pilot project implementer, analysis of data from the Expanded Program on Immunization and a restitution and discussion workshop at the Ministry of Health of Mauritania.
This evaluation showed that the Wellness Pass solution can be a powerful digital tool allowing the collection of EPI vaccination data quickly and securely. During the pilot project, the solution was well received by the health care agents and by caregivers in the community. In view of these results, the scaling up to other willayas in the country is desirable, with some recommendations including (i) to integrate collected data with existing information systems, (ii) to provide a physical document allowing easy access to the child’s vaccination data, (iii) to consider expanding the use of the application to other types of child health interventions and vaccine antigens, (iv) to use the Well-being Pass for specific vaccination campaigns (advanced strategy), (v) to ensure prior information of the general public (communication campaign), (vi) to identify health workers having shown more difficulties than others in adopting a digital solution, and to target improved training sessions and reinforced monitoring.
