A blockchain-based immunization framework with robust security and reliability

Abstract

Immunization records are vital for all healthcare professionals, including doctors and epidemiologists, to monitor vaccination rates and prevent vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. Healthcare systems worldwide are transforming to provide equitable and transparent access to essential health services. One of the challenges in this process is managing immunization records efficiently while maintaining data integrity, transparency, and privacy. This problem worsens in areas with few resources and poor health facilities. In the current immunization environment of many regions of India, the immunization card is the only record of vaccination events, which can easily be lost or destroyed; this problem is seen in slums and urban areas. Retrieving these records becomes time-consuming and sometimes practically impossible. Blockchain technology, with its features of decentralization, transparency, and immutability, provides a promising solution.

In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based immunization framework and discuss the various security aspects of the proposed system. This research focuses on designing and implementing a blockchain-based immunization framework, termed “ImmuneChain,” to enhance healthcare services and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being). Blockchain technology’s decentralized and tamper-resistant characteristics have made it a viable option for bolstering the security of patient’s personal information and immunization records. Numerous security measures are implemented in a blockchain-based vaccine network to address critical issues such as data security, transparency, and reliability. We implement the proposed framework using Hyperledger Fabric, a permissioned blockchain platform, and monitor the system resources using the Hyperledger Caliper tool. The parameters like security, transparency, and reliability are discussed with detailed performance analysis, which presents an increasing transaction load on the implemented framework. The framework is robust as all peers kept a copy of the transactions in a separate ledger, making it highly fault tolerant. The proposed ImmuneChain framework successfully achieved the requirements such as security, transparency, and resilience to some cyber-attacks.