The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a proven intervention for protecting girls against cervical cancer. But ensuring that every eligible girl is reached, recorded, and protected requires a health system that works for everyone.
Across many countries, HPV vaccination programs rely heavily on schools to provide data. Yet health and education departments often do not coordinate effectively. In addition, paper-based reporting makes tracking vaccinations and following up with patients difficult. The result? Missed doses, incomplete records, and vulnerable girls falling through the cracks.
Historically, Nepal fit that description. Vaccination data were collected primarily through campaign registers and vaccine cards. Although functional, these systems offered limited visibility, delayed follow-up, and made it difficult to reach every eligible girl.
With approximately 350,000 school-age girls eligible for HPV vaccination, even small gaps in tracking could translate into tens of thousands of missed opportunities.
The HPV vaccine is highly effective at preventing cervical cancer, but scaling the vaccination—especially among adolescent girls—requires a unique approach. Unlike routine childhood immunization programs, HPV vaccination campaigns depend on education systems as key partners. Schools help identify eligible girls, organize vaccine delivery, and track coverage. However, with paper records, girls who change schools or are out of school can be missed entirely. Health workers then lack reliable ways to track vaccination status, and policymakers have limited access to real-time data for planning.
The solution? Digital immunization systems.
To address this challenge, Jhpiego, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, helped establish a technical task team that brought together experts from across government departments. The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), the Family Welfare Division (FWD), the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), the Center for Education and Human Resource Development (CEHRD), and key development partners—including the World Health Organization and UNICEF—worked together to integrate HPV vaccination data into Nepal's Integrated Education Management Information System (IEMIS). In February 2026, Nepal operationalized this vision by launching a digital platform within IEMIS that allows schools to record HPV vaccination data directly.
"For the very first time, the education and health sectors are joining hands to digitalize school immunization records, starting with HPV," said Salina Dangol, MoEST's IT officer. "This collaboration is a critical step forward."
This advancement ensures more accurate records, improves coordination between sectors, and supports the long-term vision of a digitally enabled, equitable, and adolescent-centered immunization system. It also strengthens future immunization efforts by positioning schools as key partners in identifying missed and zero-dose children.
Since the rollout in February and March 2026, 287,650 girls in grades 6 through 10 have received the HPV vaccine. Reaching 82 percent of the approximately 350,000 eligible girls represents a significant achievement.
Following orientation sessions, municipal health teams, teachers, school nurses, and school leaders now serve as HPV immunization focal points. They enter, verify, and update vaccination records in real time. Schools have also begun incorporating routine immunization records into student profiles during enrollment, creating longitudinal health records that can support continuity of care.
Provincial leadership is reinforcing this shift. Koshi Province has made it mandatory for schools to collect and digitize immunization data during enrollment, aligning policy with practice under Nepal's Immunization Act.
This milestone reflects Jhpiego's broader commitment to harnessing digital technologies to strengthen Nepal's health system. Following the successful IEMIS rollout, the platform will also support ongoing tracking and follow-up, helping ensure that all eligible girls receive the HPV vaccine.
Beyond HPV, Jhpiego supports the Government of Nepal in advancing digital solutions across maternal, newborn, and child health. These efforts strengthen data-driven decision-making, improve service quality, and enhance frontline health worker performance. Jhpiego's approach to digital technology shares a common goal: bridging gaps across policy, service delivery, and community-level outcomes to build stronger health systems that deliver high-quality, timely care for the people of Nepal.
Suresh Shah is Senior Quality Improvement–Measurement and Evaluation Officer for Health Systems Development for Jhpiego in Nepal.
