People can now access information about their Covid-19 vaccinations via the National Bank of Cambodia’s (NBC) Bakong app.
The Ministry of Health and the NBC have announced that a link within the app will allow individuals to look up information about their Covid-19 vaccinations for purposes such as reminding them when they are due for a booster shot.
The event announcing the launch of the service was held on February 20 and was attended by the NBC’s director-general Chea Serey and Or Vandine, secretary of state at the health ministry and head of the National Commission for Covid-19 Vaccinations.
Vandine said that the commission had worked with the NBC to create a link to the information via the Bakong app that would be able to access the database of Covid-19 vaccinations kept by the government.
She said that the addition of the service to this app in particular was to encourage people to use it because it was made in Cambodia by Cambodians.
Vandine said that it would make it easier for Cambodians to access their own Covid-19 vaccination information because anyone who had Bakong could seek out their information without needing to log-in to the vaccination database.
“This link is also to help Khmer people and clients who wish to get accurate information on their Covid-19 vaccination status and also help them be aware about Covid-19 boosters so they know when they should get another dose.
“It can alert them if it is their turn to get another jab. So, this link will provide assistance to help them know the time for their next dose, which is what we are always instructing and informing the public to remember,” she said.
Serey said that people who are already registered with the Bakong system using their full national identification card’s information can already quickly find information about their Covid-19 vaccination history without needing to carry around their vaccination card.
She added that the NBC encourages Bakong’s users to register with full ID and information.
“The NBC hopes that the official launch will be an effective collaboration between the NBC and the Ministry of Health. The institution will continue good cooperation to make better use of digital technology as well as promoting the more efficient use of the Covid-19 vaccination system,” she said.
The Bakong app is a financial services app developed by the NBC that incorporates a new modern electronic payments system that links local banks, financial institutions and payment service providers in Cambodia to allow customers to make financial transactions between them through the mobile application and to make payments to any company or to other members quickly, easily and safely at very low cost.
As of September 2022, over 500,000 clients had carried out transactions via the Bakong system for a total value of $1.2 billion.
