Sufyan Marwan Sufyan Mohammed successfully applies for a digital vaccination record for his daughter. [Photo/Yiwu Center for Disease Control and Prevention]

Sufyan Shomokh Marwan Sufyan, a one-year-old Yemeni girl, received a digital vaccination record at the Jiangdong community health service center in Yiwu county-level city, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, on March 25. This is the first issuance of a digital vaccination record for foreign nationals in Zhejiang.

"In the past, when I took my child to get vaccinated, I had to bring a paper vaccination record," said her father, Sufyan Marwan Sufyan Mohammed, who has lived and worked in Yiwu for 11 years.

Having already been authenticated on the online government service platform Zheliban, he received the digital vaccination record in under a minute.

The Yiwu Center for Disease Control and Prevention noted that expats, including newcomers to Yiwu, can access public health services on par with Chinese citizens by completing advanced real-name authentication at the Yiwu Government Service Center with their original passports.

A digital vaccination record allows expats to make mobile inquiries, book appointments online, and verify school enrollment through the Zheliban platform, enhancing the accessibility and user experience of vaccination services.

Since 2019, Zhejiang has led the digital transformation of its immunization program, using technologies like big data and cloud computing. By issuing the nation's first digital vaccination record in June 2022, Zhejiang has moved from traditional paper certificates to efficient, paperless digital solutions.

This transition has addressed the challenges posed by diverse vaccination record formats of different countries, ensuring comprehensive traceability and efficient information management within the healthcare system.

Following the successful implementation in Yiwu, the initiative will be expanded across the province, bridging the gap in digital management of immunization services for foreign nationals in Zhejiang and setting a "Zhejiang example" for advancing intelligent vaccination services for all populations throughout their lives.