04.23.21
The Federal Office for Public Health (OFSP) proposed two approaches aimed at producing a Swiss solution that will be operational at end of May.
One solution was put forward by OFIT (the Federal Office for Telecommunications and Informatics) and the other, a solution jointly proposed by ELCA and SICPA.
The ELCA and SICPA solution is based on the expertise of these two companies, whose technologies are already deployed to secure numerous aspects of citizens' daily lives, in Switzerland and throughout the world, they both said.
This 100% Swiss solution (which is fully interoperable with solutions to be deployed by other countries) will enable the competent authorities to generate a forgery-proof QR code, according to SICPA, which developed the technology.
The QR code can be stored on a smartphone or in a printed version – both with an equally high level of security - which can then be verified using a simple smartphone, according to SICPA.
This will greatly facilitate its adoption by everyone in Switzerland and its recognition at border crossings, according to SICPA
ELCA’s solutions, in particular HealthnGo, allow this QR code to be used by numerous stakeholders, notably the issuers of health certificates, the entities charged with verification and, of course, Swiss citizens themselves.
The solution is easy to use and fully respects all the criteria required by the authorities to protect citizens' private data, according to SICPA.
It complies with Article 6a of the COVID Law, protects data and sharing only that which is essential to verification, according to SICPA.
It does not require access to any centralized database, which helps avoids any unauthorized access or manipulation, according to SICPA.
This unprecedented level of security, integrity, confidentiality and traceability has already resulted in the adoption by key players in the Swiss health sector and will enable it to be deployed rapidly, according to SICPA.
The solution also assures rigorous identification of the health service providers who are charged with certifying a health event such as vaccination or proof of a test result, using ELCA’s trustID, according to SICPA.
This is a solution certified by the Confederation in the framework of Electronic Patient Records.
“Supporting Switzerland and her citizens in the current health crisis is a top priority. The cutting-edge solution we are proposing to the Swiss authorities with our partner ELCA is something that we can all be proud of," said Philippe Amon, chairman and CEO of SICPA.
“Bringing together the ELCA and SICPA solutions allows us to rapidly put in place a safe and effective solution for all Swiss citizens," added Cedric Moret, chair and CEO of ELCA.
The reliability and flexibility of the ELCA and SICPA solution, together with the competencies of the OFIT will allow citizens to travel once again, to visit their families and friends, to pursue leisure activities, according to SICPA.
