Image shared by Amref.
SPIDER enters a partnership with Amref Health Africa with the launch of a two-year project called Mobile Health for Improved Maternal and Child Health Services Utilisation. This project will use mobile solutions to give pregnant women and their children access to health services in ten districts of North Shewa Zone, Amhara regional state in Ethiopia.
Maternal and infant death rates are still high in many parts of Ethiopia, despite a decreasing trend. One of the contributing factors is poor utilisation of antenatal care services and low level of skilled attendance at delivery. Increasing the number of women and children that access these services will make a difference in lowering these numbers.
The Amref Health Africa project will assist frontline health workers in following up pregnant women, providing antenatal care and assisted delivery. It will also provide postnatal care and immunisation services that have the potential to be life-saving. Additionally, this project strengthens the referral system between health facilities, which facilitates access to special care and experts when there is a need for it.
The project is well aligned with the national framework for mHealth and Ethiopia’s five year (2016 – 2020) health sector transformation plan, which targets localities where utilisation of maternal and children health services is alarmingly low.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can make a significant contribution to addressing health challenges in Africa. E-health strategies are also crucial in achieving universal health coverage. To this effect, SPIDER supports organisations in developing countries to strengthen their capacities in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT) and effectively address their health needs. Since 2015 Amref Health Africa has been implementing m-Health to help improve sexual and reproductive health and increase maternal and child health service utilisation in several localities of Amhara regional state.
About Amref Health Africa
Amref Health Africa is the largest African led international organisation on the continent. It provides training and health services to over 30 countries in Africa. Amref was founded in 1957 as the Flying Doctors of East Africa to bring critical health services to remote communities, Amref Health Africa now delivers preventive, community-based health care.
With a focus on women and children, Amref Health Africa manages a full range of medical and public health programs tackling the most critical health challenges facing the continent: maternal and child care, HIV & TB, malaria, clean water and sanitation and surgical and clinical outreach.
Amref Health Africa in Ethiopia delivers programs on: Maternal health, Child health, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Communicable Diseases, Clinical Outreach Services, Emergency Nutrition, health extension workers and Midwives Training and Operational Research. Training and clinical outreach programs are implemented nationally across all regions of the country.
Visit www.amref.org for more information
