TANDAA SYMPOSIUM

TECHNOLOGY FOR SOCIAL

GOOD

mHealth in Africa

Presented by:
Caroline Shakwei Mbindyo
AMREF Headquarters
What Does Social Good Mean?
• A good or service that benefits the largest number of people in
the largest possible way.

• Some classic examples of social good include clean air,

clean water, literacy, and healthcare

• AMREFs mission is to improve health and health care in Africa

so that every African can enjoy the right to good health.
Health and Development
• In order for global poverty to decrease, definitive steps must be
taken to improve health, especially among marginalized
populations.
• MDGs = Global Development Targets. 3 of the 8 MDGs were
designed to improve global health.
– Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
– Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
– Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
– Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
– Goal 5: Improve maternal health
– Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
– Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
– Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
SSA MDG 4,5,6 Progress Report
• 51% of sub-Saharan Africans were
living on an income of less than $1.25
a day (2005)
• SSA accounted for ½ of the 8.8 million
child deaths worldwide, with the
highest levels of mortality in Western
and Central Africa.
• SSA remains the most affected by
HIV, with 72% of worldwide new
infections in 2008.
• 89% of malaria deaths in the world
occurred in Africa
Health Resources & MDGs
A health system under extra pressure
requires extra-ordinary effort
New Health Delivery Platform
• Mobile Phones reach further into developing countries than other
technology and health infrastructures

Technologies and Health-Related Statistics for Developing

Countries (Millions)
6,000
5,300
5,000

4,000

3,000
2,293
2,000

1,000
305
11
0

Hospital Beds Computers Mobile Phones Population

Sources: Vital Wave Consulting, Business Monitor International, International Telecommunications Union and the World Bank’s World
Development Indicators
Technology for Social Good

mHealth: a new Health Delivery Platform

• According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU),
mobile subscriptions globally will surpass the 5 billion mark by
the end of the year - an estimated 2/3 of which are expected to be
in low- and middle-income countries.
• Estimated that by 2012, half of all individuals in remote areas of
the world will have mobile phones.
• That puts the mobile industry in a position to play a pivotal role
in tackling health care for the underserved.

“Even the simplest low-end mobile phone can do

so much to improve health care in the developing world”
Meeting Health Needs
• Innovation around the mobile phone is particularly interesting in
Africa, often because it is born out of necessity.
• The key applications for mHealth in developing countries are:
– Education and awareness
– Remote data collection
– Remote monitoring
– Communication and training for healthcare workers
– Disease and epidemic outbreak tracking
– Diagnostic and treatment support
My People Perish for Lack of Knowledge

• Chloroquine: side effects (itching) and resistance

• Fansidar: takes about 2 days to work because its
digested in liver
• Amodiaquine: liver too…but it also kills liver cells,
may cause jaundice
• Coartem: clears young and old parasites but
expensive
• Amodiaquine + Artesunate: supposed to be a cheaper
option and less damaging than Amodiaquine alone
• Artemether: very okay, but expensive, more effective
than Coartem: almost 3 hours for a child in fever to
stabilize.
• Who knows what next….
Some mHealth Initiatives @ AMREF
ART Guidelines Telemedicine Impilo!

FrontlineSMS mLearning
CB-HMIS
How ARMEFs mLearning Works

• Evidence collected during the pilot will be analyzed to determine if

mobile learning can make a positive contribution nurse education.
mHealth: Technology for Social Good
• ICTs have the capability to provide new and more efficient
methods of production; improve delivery of information; bring
previously unattainable markets within reach of the poor; and
facilitate the transfer of knowledge.

• With specific regard to MDGs 4,5 & 6 ICTs have the capability to
increase remote access and support of specialists to caregivers in
rural locales. They also enhance basic training for healthcare
workers, increasing their ability to monitor and access
information, such as statistics on disease and famine.

7 World Bank. 2003. ICT and MDGs: A World Bank Group perspective. World Bank Working Paper No. 27877. Posted at: http://www-
wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?
pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000090341_20040915091312
8 Mingues, M. 2003. Information and Communications Technologies & the Millennium Development Goals. Geneva. Posted at http://www.itu.int/ITU-
D/ict/publications/wtdr_03/material/ICTs%20&%20MDGs.pdf
Goals of mHealth @ AMREF

• Improve function of health care system

– Patient care, administration, patient
information
• Improve delivery of health care
– Accessing up to date medical
information, professional development,
remote diagnostic support, decision
support, quality assurance, disease
surveillance
• Improve communication about health
– Patient data, interactive communication,
media, research, advocacy
AMREF’s Dream
• Social Good: A good or service that
benefits the largest number of people
in the largest possible way.

• AMREFs Mission: To improve health

and health care in Africa so that every
African can enjoy the right to good
health.

• AMREFs Dream: A sustainable

African integrated, interoperable, open
ehealth ecosystem.
Questions?
www.amref.org
caroline.mbindyo@amref.org
@shakwei