Building a smarter, more resilient immunization system for Jamaica

Kingston, Jamaica, 17 December 2025 (PAHO) - Hurricane Melissa has left a visible mark on health facilities across several Jamaican parishes, with partial or total roof loss highlighting the storm's destructive power. Yet the damage goes beyond buildings. Inside affected centres, water-soaked patient files leave pages stuck together and crucial information nearly unreadable. For health workers, this is more than an inconvenience; it is also an obstacle to continuity of care and effective immunization services.

Against this backdrop, the hardware handover ceremony for Jamaica's national electronic immunization registry (EIR) pilot project, held on 11 December 2025 at St Ann's Bay Health Center, took on added significance.

The EIR pilot is part of a broader effort to modernize immunization services across Jamaica. An ongoing pilot across 18 project sites, the system will enable vaccination data to be entered in real time at the point of care and stored securely in disaster-proof data centers. By reducing reliance on paper records, which can be easily damaged or lost, the system will support health teams to access timely information for follow-up and service delivery. The pilot is expected to benefit approximately 135,000 people, and health workers have already reported strong engagement and a growing sense of ownership in the process.

Canada's CanGIVE initiative has been instrumental in the EIR pilot project. Technical assistance provided by PAHO/WHO under this USD 2.3 million (≈ CAD 3.24 million) Canada-sponsored grant includes support for EIR system design, monitoring and evaluation, risk management, and communication activities. The hardware handed over to the Ministry of Health and Wellness comprises a Tier 3 data centre with two servers installed in Kingston and two, as a backup, in Mandeville, as well as tablets, laptops, desktop computers, and printers, valued at roughly USD 719,000 (≈ CAD 1.012 million).

The practical benefits of the upcoming EIR and the capacity-building sponsored under the CanGIVE PAHO-managed grant are already evident at the facility level. Situation room approaches introduced at pilot sites allow healthcare workers to review information quickly and respond to gaps in coverage. At Mocho Health Centre, targeted actions informed by data use and management increased first-dose HPV uptake from 27 to 114 within a single month, illustrating how timely, reliable information can improve immunization outcomes.

Alongside technology, the ongoing efforts emphasize workforce development and policy improvement. Between 2024 and 2025, more than 150 Ministry of Health and Wellness personnel have been trained to strengthen vaccination delivery, supported by revised Expanded Program on Immunization field guidelines. National Health Emergency Operations Centre courses have further built capacity across the Ministry and national emergency services. Work has also progressed on a concept note for a comprehensive adult immunization policy, with gender and intersectionality considerations integrated across policy development, monitoring and evaluation, and EIR-related activities.

Efforts to strengthen the evidence base for decision-making complement these initiatives. Support for the design of a national vaccination coverage survey for children aged 0-7 years, developed with the involvement of 16 key partners, ensures that future planning is grounded in robust data and collaboration.

As Jamaica continues to modernize its immunization services, the EIR pilot and the work produced under the generous allocation from the Government of Canada demonstrate that digital systems, supported by resilient infrastructure and trained health workers, can protect critical health information and ensure continuity of care, both in routine settings and during times of disruption.

The EIR is more than a digital system. It collects critical health information, facilitates health services continuity, and empowers health workers to deliver services with precision and confidence, even during emergencies. With the new EIR, health teams will be able to track coverage, respond to gaps, and plan interventions in real time. By guiding Jamaica's Expanded Programme on Immunization and supporting expanded vaccination coverage nationwide, the upcoming registry is already building stronger, smarter health services and healthier communities across the country.