Biometric Tech Brings Healthcare to 350K Undocumented People

Imagine needing surgery but having no way to prove who you are or access your medical history. That's the reality for over 350,000 people across North Africa and the Middle East, but a new solution is changing lives in the Sahara Desert.

HumanCoop, a volunteer medical organization, is now using facial biometric technology to identify patients who have no official documents. Operating in northern Mauritania's remote Tiris Zemmour region, the group conducts between 600 and 1,200 medical consultations per mission, plus surgical operations.

The problem they're solving is critical. When undocumented patients visit multiple medical missions, they often end up with duplicate or incomplete records. Doctors can't track their treatment history, which means worse care and potentially dangerous medication errors.

The technology from Identy.io works entirely offline, processing data directly on mobile devices without cloud storage. This matters enormously in the Sahara Desert, where internet access is unreliable and protecting vulnerable populations' privacy is essential.

Starting in the town of Bir Mogrein, local teams and volunteers are learning to scan patients' faces to create unique medical profiles. Each person gets a permanent record that travels with them, even if they have no passport, birth certificate, or nationality papers.

The system will gradually expand to other areas where HumanCoop operates, including surgical missions in Zouerate. The organization plans to track how much faster they can access patient histories and whether follow-up care improves.

The Ripple Effect

This initiative represents something bigger than one region. Humanitarian groups worldwide are discovering that digital identity solutions can bridge healthcare gaps for displaced and undocumented people who've been invisible to traditional medical systems.

HumanCoop, founded in 2020, focuses specifically on communities beyond the reach of conventional health services. Identy.io has previously partnered with organizations fighting human trafficking and supporting other vulnerable groups who need secure digital identities.

The approach could become a model for healthcare delivery in refugee camps, disaster zones, and underserved areas globally. When people can prove who they are, even without paper documents, they gain access to consistent, safe medical care that can save lives.

Thousands of patients in Mauritania will soon have something many of us take for granted: a medical record that follows them from visit to visit, ensuring doctors know their history and can provide the best possible care.