Blockchain for health and education in Africa

As cases of the coronavirus escalated in countries around the world, governments and health authorities scrambled to develop and distribute vaccines. But how can individuals demonstrate their vaccination status?

Dr. Catherine Lephoto, Managing Director of Sales at VX Technologies, is on a mission to help transform the healthcare and education sectors in African countries using blockchain technology. While leading a COVID response program, Catherine saw an opportunity to use blockchain to create a record keeping system for vaccinated individuals.

The company’s product, VXPASS, verifies and authenticates a person’s vaccination status using the BSV blockchain. It works through a QR code that can be stored in a smartphone or printed on a piece of paper.

As Catherine explains, a person can show their vaccination certificate by presenting their VXPASS code. The establishment that checks the code will then be directed to a VX-verified website that displays the individual’s personal details. The person will also present a valid ID that allows the reviewer to match the person’s identity.

On the question of securing a person’s private details, Catherine explains that this technology “is only intended to combine personally identifiable information with the record at the time you, as the owner of the record, provide the key.”

Catherine points out that VXPASS is not only focused on the verification process for COVID 19 vaccination. She says it can also help with the digitization of children’s vaccination records. Doctors’ current two-step process involves noting the vaccine on a piece of paper given to the patient, followed by manually entering the information into a computer database. She sees a problem with the system, saying “half the time it [software inputting] is never done then later when I come back no one has me on the system after receiving the vaccine that I have a paper record for…it’s just ineffective.

Catherine is the only VX Technologies executive based in Africa. As she tells Charles Miller at this week’s CoinGeek Conversations, she feels blessed with the opportunity to help articulate the needs of the African people.

“We always talk about Africa as a land of opportunity, for entrepreneurship and big business … How many of these companies actually spend time on the ground to understand what the needs are and develop solutions to meet those needs?”

Another issue she plans to tackle is Africa’s education system, which says employers should be able to access a student’s academic performance through a trusted system. As she explains, students who fail to complete their studies and earn a college degree can still be eligible for work as long as they complete a series of courses.

“I should be able to find a way to confirm that this young person has actually gone through so many courses at this college. Yes, they may not have graduated yet, but if they have the right skills that I need as an employer, I’m happy to give them the right job.”

Catherine’s insights that she brings to VX Technologies often stem from her own personal experience. As she explains, Africa’s financial resources are limited, and therefore BSV’s low costs are a perfect technical solution to meet the needs.

Catherine hopes that Africa will embrace new technology. She is optimistic that governments will appreciate and adopt blockchain, believing it will leapfrog existing technologies that are less affordable.

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to develop sustainable products … it’s really about thinking ahead when it comes to meeting the needs.”

Listen to Dr. Catherine Lephoto’s full interview in this week’s CoinGeek Conversations podcast or catch up on other recent episodes:

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