MBABANE — Eswatini is strengthening childhood healthcare by combining digital technology with community-based health services to identify children who may have been missed by routine immunisation programmes.

Rural Health Motivators are using handheld digital devices to collect and update information on children in remote communities, helping health teams identify gaps in vaccination records and follow up with families.

Health officials and development partners say better digital data can help ensure that children are not missed by national vaccination programmes. The approach is particularly important in rural areas, where communities can be difficult to reach and paper-based records may not provide a complete picture of immunisation coverage.

The initiative is being highlighted in the Shiselweni region, where community health workers travel between rural homesteads to connect families with essential health services.

Eswatini has set an ambitious target of achieving 95% childhood immunisation coverage, making accurate identification of children who have missed vaccines an important part of the national health strategy.

Health-sector observers say the combination of community outreach and digital tracking could improve follow-up, strengthen vaccination data and support more efficient allocation of healthcare resources.

Eswatini’s digital approach shows how relatively simple technology can strengthen last-mile healthcare and help bring essential preventive services closer to rural families.