The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have announced a major advancement in their digital health collaboration, expanding the Hajj health card initiative to enhance healthcare access and safety for millions of Hajj pilgrims.
This digital health card, built on WHO’s Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN), securely stores essential health information like medications, allergies, immunization status and pre-existing conditions. It allows pilgrims to share their health data with authorized healthcare providers, ensuring personalized, high-quality care throughout their pilgrimage.
Following a successful pilot program involving over 250,000 pilgrims from Indonesia, Malaysia and Oman, the program is now being scaled up to include more countries. The initiative demonstrated that participating countries could issue their own national versions while adhering to global standards. This collaboration boosts health system digitization and enhances patient safety across borders.
The WHO's (GDHCN) is a secure platform connecting over 80 countries, facilitating global verification of health information, enhancing healthcare access and laying the foundation for future digital health advancements like cross-border e-prescriptions and telemedicine.
“Today marks a notable progress in WHO’s support to Member States to expand access to safer and person-centered digital health tools for people to improve their access to quality health care when and where they need it,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, WHO Chief Scientist.
