Using contactless biometrics for verified delivery of vaccines at the frontlines to minimise waste and improve data quality
Team Leader
Alexandra Grigore
Using contactless biometrics for verified delivery of vaccines at the frontlines to minimise wastage, and improve data quality
The Problem
Across the developing world, there are huge gaps between administrative and WHO survey vaccine coverage data. The average gap in Bangladesh is over 17 percent and in Nigeria the discrepancy rises to almost 34 percent. This lack of accurate data makes it extremely difficult for frontline health workers to accurately administer care. Each percentage gap indicates millions of children slipping through the cracks and missing out on life-saving vaccinations.
The Solution
Simprints’ solution is a camera-based, contactless, biometric product, which utilises facial recognition to ensure the verified delivery of every vaccine dose . Health workers register people’s biometrics against a record on a data collection app with their vaccination history. The next time a beneficiary turns up, the health worker can pull up their record using face biometrics, ensuring that the right record is identified and a continuum of care is maintained. Contactless biometrics also protect health workers from potential transmission by fomites. Further, biometric identification offers a powerful and under-leveraged strategy to verify coverage and impact of development interventions, ensuring every dollar is accounted for to prevent waste and fraud.
To counter the racial and gender biases found in camera-based algorithms, Simprints’ contactless biometrics solution harnesses inclusive, ethical AI to improve accuracy, cost-efficiency, and scalability. Simprints also extends the principles of the EU’s GDPR to any country of operation, and implements the strictest security measures when processing and storing biometric data.
Stats
850,000 beneficiaries have been enrolled with Simprint’s biometrics system
Market Opportunity
The global biometric system market size is expected to grow from $33 billion in 2019 to $65.3 billion by 2024. According to the World Bank over 1.1 billion people, or 1 in 7 worldwide, lack formal identification. The ability to identify individuals accurately and reliably is a fundamental condition for providing essential services for health, finance, and social protection programmes. Simprints sees an opportunity to further expand its work by contributing to the Covid-19 vaccine distribution process.
Organization Highlights
Winner of the 2019 World Bank Mission Billion Challenge
Recognized by USAID as "1 of the 15 Most Promising Innovations to Save the Lives of Mothers and Children" in 2017
Ranked as “1 of 5 Tech Start-ups that can Solve the World's Biggest Problems” by Forbes in 2018
Awarded UNICEF and TechCrunch's 'Best Tech: Changing Children's Lives for Good'
Founders named to the Forbes "30 under 30" Social Entrepreneurs
Partnership Goals
Simprints currently seeks:
A digital health expert with experience working with governments in developing countries—as an entrepreneur, with an NGO, or industry—to join their board of directors
Experts in global health, tech4dev or the digital health space, ideally with a technical background, to provide mentorship and advice around company strategy, operations, and growth
What is the name of your organization?
Simprints
What is the name of your solution?
Biometrics for vaccine delivery
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Using contactless biometrics for verified delivery of vaccines at the frontlines to minimise wastage, and improve data quality
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Cambridge
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
United Kingdom
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
Across the developing world, there are huge gaps between administrative and WHO survey vaccine coverage data. The average gap in Bangladesh is over 17 percent and in Nigeria the discrepancy rises to 34%. This lack of accurate data makes it extremely difficult for frontline health workers to accurately administer care.
What is your solution?
Simprints' solution is a camera-based, contactless, biometric product, which utilises facial recognition to ensure the verified delivery of every vaccine dose . Health workers register people's biometrics against a record on a data collection app with their vaccination history. The next time a beneficiary turns up, the health worker can pull up their record using face biometrics, ensuring that the right record is identified and a continuum of care is maintained. Contactless biometrics also protect health workers from potential transmission by fomites. Further, biometric identification offers a powerful and under-leveraged strategy to verify coverage and impact of development interventions, ensuring every dollar is accounted for to prevent waste and fraud.
To counter the racial and gender biases found in camera-based algorithms, Simprints' contactless biometrics solution harnesses inclusive, ethical AI to improve accuracy, cost-efficiency, and scalability.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Vaccine cards and registers are a common sight in health clinics across the developing world. However, they pose a significant challenge for health workers to maintain, as paper records are easily lost or misplaced. For beneficiaries, most often children, lost health cards often mean missing out on life-saving doses of essential vaccines. Another consequence of these challenges is wastage of valuable vaccine doses, as they often go unaccounted for.
To address these challenges, Simprints has been working with Ministries of Health and health workers over the past 5 years to build a rugged solution suitable for the last mile. As a result, our contactless biometrics solution can be used in the field without any internet connectivity, and has been designed keeping health worker needs in mind. By tying beneficiary health records to biometrics, Simprints can help capture those who fall through the cracks between household, health post, and centre.
