In Bangladesh, ensuring that every child receives their essential vaccinations is a critical public health challenge. With a significant shortage of healthcare workers in the country, particularly in remote and hard-to-reach areas, vaccinating zero-dose (ZD) and under-immunised (UI) children has become a daunting task. The Country Learning Hub (CLH)-Bangladesh, supported by Gavi and in partnership with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), is taking an innovative approach to address this challenge and ensure immunisation equity for every child. 

The eScreening Checklist App, developed by icddr,b with support from DGHS, offers a digital solution to identify zero-dose and under-immunised children in areas that lack sufficient healthcare infrastructure. One of the most significant advantages of this app is that it works offline, making it ideal for remote districts where internet access is limited or unreliable. This feature allows healthcare workers, who may not be directly involved in immunisation efforts but are part of the broader healthcare system, to play a crucial role in identifying children who have missed their vaccinations.

The process is simple but highly effective. When a parent or guardian visits a healthcare facility for any type of medical service, the healthcare worker first provides the necessary treatment. Afterward, the worker asks if the household has a newborn child. If the answer is yes, the worker inquires whether the child has been vaccinated. If the child has not received their required vaccines, such as BCG, DPT, or Pentavalent, the worker records the information in the eScreening Checklist App. This data is then uploaded to a central system, where analysts in Dhaka can monitor and track the vaccination status of the child.

The eScreening Checklist App has been deployed in five of Bangladesh’s most remote districts—Sherpur, Gaibandha, Sunamganj, Rangamati, and Hatiya Island in Noakhali—where the need for immunisation is the greatest. The app has already made a significant impact, helping identify 635 zero-dose and under-immunised children. Of these, 405 children have already been vaccinated, with the remaining children actively being followed up and vaccinated. This is a remarkable achievement in the fight to reduce immunisation gaps in hard-to-reach communities.

One of the key advantages of the eScreening Checklist App is its real-time data entry and easy accessibility. Healthcare workers can input information directly into the app, which syncs with the central system when the worker has access to the internet. This ensures that vaccination data is always up to date, allowing public health officials to respond quickly and efficiently to emerging gaps in immunisation coverage. Moreover, the app’s offline functionality enables workers to continue collecting data even in areas with no internet access, making it a reliable tool in resource-constrained settings.

The mission of CLH-BD is clear: to reduce the number of zero-dose and under-immunised children in Bangladesh and ensure immunisation equity for every child, no matter where they live. The eScreening Checklist App is an integral part of this mission, helping bridge the gap between healthcare workers and the children who need vaccinations the most. By empowering health workers in remote areas and providing them with a tool to identify and track unvaccinated children, CLH-BD is making significant strides in improving immunisation coverage.

With continued efforts and the use of innovative solutions like the eScreening Checklist App, CLH-BD remains committed to ensuring that every child in Bangladesh has access to life-saving vaccines such as BCG, DPT, and Pentavalent. Through this digital solution, CLH-BD is working tirelessly to ensure immunisation equity and protect the health of future generations in Bangladesh.