WHO Launches Digital Health Wallet Initiative in ASEAN to Replace Paper Records
WHO Launches Digital Health Wallet Initiative in ASEAN to Replace
WHO is launching a Digital Health Wallet initiative across the ASEAN region.
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with organizations like the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, has launched a three-year initiative across ASEAN countries. The goal is to transition from paper-based health records to secure, interoperable Digital Health Wallets (DHWs). This aims to address gaps exposed during the pandemic and improve continuity of care, especially for populations that frequently cross borders.
Key Players
Details
Building on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, this initiative addresses critical limitations of traditional paper records—such as lack of portability across borders, vulnerability to loss or damage, and difficulty in verification. Digital Health Wallets aim to provide individuals with secure, verifiable, and portable health records accessible anytime, anywhere. The core technology involves cryptographic verification through WHO’s Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN), ensuring that records are authentic, tamper-proof, and interoperable across different health systems and borders. The rollout will start with digital vaccination certificates before expanding to routine immunization records, maternal/child data, and comprehensive personal health summaries. Crucially, the program supports alignment with updated International Health Regulations (IHR 2025), promoting globally recognized digital health certificates for improved international health security and mobility. Technically, it adopts internationally recognized interoperability standards like HL7 FHIR® and the International Patient Summary (IPS). This initiative is framed not merely as a technological upgrade but as a systemic reform to build trusted, people-centered health systems, providing support for national digital readiness and integration into existing health information infrastructure.
Technology Note
FHIR（Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources）は医療データ交換の国際標準。このエントリの関連技術: HL7
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