Since January 1, 2017, 342 electronic health cards with data about health status, the first of their kind, have been delivered in Italy to migrants at hotspots in Lampedusa and Trapani. The cards are distributed by the CARE program (Common Approach for REfugees and Other Migrants' Health).
CARE is co-financed by the European Commission and coordinated by the Italian National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP). 14 organisations from other participating countries, including Greece, Malta, Slovenia and Croatia are participating in the project. CARE officials deliver health cards, which contain an encrypted file with information on the person's health status. This is done by developing a database that allows for the creation of an electronic health chart for each migrant, containing data about the migrant's health status upon arrival. The card allows for maximum efficiency when the person is being examined by other health providers, thus assuring a continuity of care and treatment. Health cards are also updated in reception centres. The contents on the portable device can be read on the new doctor's computer through an application that can be downloaded on a specific website. It is therefore possible to update the migrant's health chart throughout his or her journey, even if he or she is transferred to another EU country. CARE also aims to manage migrant health at hotspots and migrant centres (in Italy there have been a total of 11,057 doctor visits), monitor communicable diseases, and provide information and awareness campaigns to educate the public, migrants and healthcare providers.
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