The Significance of a Patient Having a Health ID in Sub-Saharan Africa

The global landscape of identification (ID) is changing rapidly as technology is enabling the identification of individuals more rapidly and accurately. At the same time, the opportunities of the digital era are making it increasingly important, not to say critical, for every individual in all countries to be able to prove their identity. The need to have an ID has now become essential in areas ranging from financial inclusion, social protection, voting, education, migration, and also access to essential health care. 

However, based on the World Bank’s identification for development (ID4D), more than 40 percent of those lacking IDs in the world live in Africa, thus further amplifying the growing global inequalities and economic divide faced by the emerging economies of the African continent.  

For every individual to possess a personal identification is therefore crucial for both their wellbeing and future.

In 2015, the global objective of ensuring that everyone in the world has a legal identity was even included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (target no.16.9) which form the basis and framework for global action and partnerships to improve the wellbeing of all individuals globally by 2030.

The roll out of traditional centralised identification frameworks in Africa are however still lacking and fraught with concerns over scalability, accessibility, accuracy, and also personal data protection, as a significant number of countries lack adequate personal data protection legislation.

In the last 18 months however the Global Pandemic has increased the sense of emergency and further highlighted the importance for all individuals to not only possess an ID but also be identifiable for health purposes.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA’s) Digital Centre of Excellence, even insisted that African nations must be more intentional about developing digital identity systems especially as they look to rebuild stronger economies in the post-COVID-19.

So, in these challenging times, how can a nation best address simultaneously the need for all individuals to have access to an individual identification, own a health ID to support individual national and global health priorities needs, and also, directly address the concerns of data accuracy and data protection?  

Born at this time of great technological advances and global challenges, Immunify.Life has brought together decades of experience in the field of healthcare and development, to leverage this expertise along with the most innovative and promising technologies of our time, that of Blockchain. 

By creating a digital ID accessible FREE OF COST to all individuals, it has enabled a Health ID that any individual owning a simple mobile phone can access. This personal health ID not only gives the individual access to all their health data and ensures access to healthcare services, but also enables with its personal identification, access to basic financial services through a personal digital wallet. Furthermore, the storing of all data on the Blockchain ensures one of the most secure means of affordable and scalable data protection available today. 

Built as an all-encompassing healthcare ecosystem, Immunify.Life enables access to healthcare for all, and empowers individuals with the ownership of their personal data, bringing financial inclusion and helping reduce the inequalities created by a lack of access to a form of identification and to basic healthcare services.