PAHO/WHO and the Federal Republic of Germany donate laptops, MiFi devices, and vaccination cards to support Belize's Ministry of Health and Wellness’ COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment

The Ministry of Health and Wellness uses its electronic medical record, the Belize Health Information System (BHIS), in most public health facilities. However, some rural and remote health facilities where Internet may not be available, do not have access to the BHIS, presenting a challenge to real-time information on vaccine administration. Having the capability to conduct data entry improves the monitoring and evaluation capacity at all levels of the health system, which is especially important for COVID-19 vaccine deployment.

“The equipment we are donating today allows personnel of the Ministry of Health and Wellness to electronically track and record the vaccines that have been administered into the information for health system,” said Dr. Noreen Jack, PAHO/WHO Representative of Belize. “This allows the Ministry to report on and monitor the number of vaccines given, record information including vaccine type and batch number and, most importantly, conduct post surveillance for any adverse effects.”

The donated items included:

• Fourteen (14) 15-inch screen laptops with each of the following districts and areas to receive two – Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize, Belmopan, San Ignacio, Stann Creek and Toledo.
• Fourteen (14) MiFi devices to provide Internet service which facilitates real-time data entry.
• 200,000 vaccination cards that will allow vaccine recipients to maintain a personal record of the vaccine they received.
• 148,500 information sheets to give guidance to persons who took the vaccine.

“Because of the improvements by our Information Technology Unit, we are now able to have better access to Belize’s Health Information System (BHIS),” said Dr. Deysi Mendez, Chief Executive Officer of the MoHW. “However, we still face challenges with the additional necessary equipment to conduct data entry and access the BHIS. We are grateful for this donation from PAHO/WHO and the Federal Republic of Germany that will allow prompt access to gather and record individual data for reporting and documenting any adverse events following immunizations and respond timely.”

As we keep up the fight against the pandemic, PAHO/WHO continues to work and collaborate with partners like the Federal Republic of Germany to support the ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the country of Belize.