The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced a new milestone digital health collaboration today to expand the Hajj health card.
The Hajj health card, built on the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network’s public key infrastructure, summarizes critical health information, such as medication needs, allergies, immunization status and pre-existing conditions is an initiative to support the around 3 million pilgrims who undertake the holy pilgrimage every year, said WHO press release.
In collaboration with the European Union and other partnering countries WHO launched the Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN) in 2023 to support COVID-19 vaccination certificates. GDHCN has over 80 WHO member states.
The card gives individuals agency over their own health information when they travel to Saudi Arabia so that they can provide authorized health providers access to accurate, up-to-date patient summary information and obtain personalized quality care.
The Hajj is the largest pilgrimage in the world, drawing almost 3 million pilgrims from over 180 countries every year, the release added.
Over 250 000 pilgrims from 3 countries, Indonesia, Malaysia and Oman, were issued Hajj health cards in 2024, as part of the pilot collaboration between WHO and Saudi Arabia. This test-phase demonstrated that each country was able to use global standards to issue their own national versions of the card, enhancing the pilgrims’ safety and quality of care while undertaking the Hajj.
“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.
