Four Mobile Health Services To Strengthen Public Health Infrastructure

The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare has launched four mobile health (m-Health) services to provide citizen-centric health services. These m-Health services are Kilkari, Mobile Academy, M-Cessation and TB Missed Call initiative.

Kilkari

•   Under this service, weekly audio messages will be delivered to families about  pregnancy, child birth and child care.
•   The 72 messages would reach the targeted beneficiaries from the 4th month of pregnancy until the child is one year old. On an average, the duration of each message is two minutes.
•   Such messages will empower and educate women and parents to help create a better environment in maternal and child health. This service will be provided free to the beneficiaries.
•  In the first phase of implementation, such messages would be sent to the pregnant women and infants’ mothers in six States in Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and HPDs of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
•  They are being developed in Hindi, English and Odiya languages in the first phase, to be later expanded to other languages to cover the entire country and would benefit over 2 crore pregnant women and 2 crore infants, annually.

Mobile Academy

•   It’s a mobile-based application aimed at providing training services to 9 million ASHAs.
•  This will aid in enhancing their inter-personal skills. Once registered, ASHAs can access the 240-minute course via their mobile phones.
•  They can then complete the standardized course at their convenience. Digital bookmarking technology enables ASHAs to complete the course at their own pace. 
•  ASHAs successfully completing the course by securing more than minimum prescribed marks will receive a Certificate of completion from the Government.
  

M-Cessation

•  It will be an IT-enabled tool to help tobacco users to quit tobacco.
•  Built on a helpline concept, it will register beneficiaries on the basis of a missed call.
•  The counselling would be done through a two-way SMS process, the Minister informed.

TB Missed Call initiative

• Under TB Missed Call initiative, a dedicated toll free number 1800-11–6666 which will provide round the clock counselling and treatment support services for TB patients.
• The callers can give a missed call or call for free to get information related to TB symptoms, treatment services available, address and contact details of the nearest treatment facility etc.
•  Initially the service will be available to people in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.

Analysis:

• This launch is a part of  Government’s Digital India programme, which  is in line with its commitment to prioritize public health and strengthen citizen-centric health services by leveraging India’s expanding mobile phone penetration
• These services aim to improve family health – including family planning, reproductive, maternal and child health, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene – by generating demand for healthy practices by empowerment and capacity building at the individual and community level, and by creating an enabling environment.

By: Vishal