Digital health certificates help travellers and border officials alike
Interested in easier travel abroad and greater ownership of your own health data? An innovative certification network maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO) offers a preview of a safer, healthier more connected future.
By the Digital Health Systems Unit, Department of Digital Health and Innovation, WHO
What would you say to having your health records available – in accessible secure, trusted and verifiable form – and made portable and usable worldwide?
What if you could retrieve your health records or test results instantly rather than fussing with paperwork for trips abroad, navigating different requirements for each country?
The Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN) offers the possibility of a future where you have greater access and control over your own health data, and seamless international travel, by establishing a secure platform for verifying health credentials across borders.
Building trust globally
Digital health credentials should be universally recognizable. Based on robust public key infrastructure (PKI) encryption, the network addresses the critical need for secure exchanges of health data in our increasingly interconnected world, while always upholding privacy to maintain public confidence and safety.
This PKI system keeps health credentials verifiable and secure, allowing national authorities and health providers to trust the authenticity of health documents across borders without compromising individual privacy.
WHO enables national certificates to be verifiable and usable across borders by laying the groundwork for long-term improvements in global health collaboration and coordination.
Reducing red tape
By joining WHO’s certification network, countries can cut down on frustrating administration, make border controls more efficient, health visits better informed.
Individuals can carry and selectively disclose their health records. For example, you can choose to share only the necessary health information from your digital wallet when seeking care either domestically or abroad.
The recent call by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) for countries to join the GDHCN underscores potential benefits for global mobility. By reducing the need for multiple, often conflicting, health checks when arriving in a different country, the network can make travel safer and more predictable. Business trips, visits to see family, and holidays would all be that much easier.
Expanding certification
A partnership between the European Commission and WHO, announced in June 2023, aims to build on the success of the European Union’s Digital COVID Certificate to develop a global digital health certification system.
Working with the European Commission will help align digital health standards, governance frameworks, and technological solutions, expanding the GDHCN’s reach and effectiveness, as well as enhancing global health security and pandemic preparedness.
Over 80 countries, representing health services for about 1.8 billion people, have joined the GDHCN.
The network offers enormous potential for reshaping global health.
We stand at the threshold of a new era in digital health, where technology, trust, and collaboration come together to build stronger, more resilient health systems worldwide. WHO’s GDHCN is a sign of what a more connected, safer, and healthier world could look like.
WHO presents the Global Digital Health Certification Network at SDG Digital on 20-21 September.
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Header image credit: WHO
