Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Mobile Technology for Community Health (MoTeCH)

last updated Apr 24, 2013

Overview

Implementing organization: 
Grameen Foundation
Implementation Partner(s): 
Mailman School of Public Health, Ghana Health Service
Legal Status: 
Private (not-for-profit)
Year Launched: 
2010
Stage: 
Existing/expansion stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
All income levels

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor
Funders: 
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Technology

Technology Used: 
Phones › SMS/MMS (Text Message), Phones › Voice
Technology Purpose: 
Improving Data Management › Data Collection, Facilitating Patient Communications › Encouraging Patient Compliance, Facilitating Patient Communications › General Health Education, Improving Diagnosis and Treatment

Scale

Personnel Employed: 
10-49
Number of Clients Served: 
11,843 total (As of March 2013)
Number of Facilities Operated/Networked: 
34 (As of March 2013)
Other Measures of Scale: 
MOTECH will reach approximately 14,000 more pregnant women and 46,000 more children under five over the two -year implementation, increasing access to accurate health information generating increased demand for antenatal, postnatal and neonatal care, and providing detailed data on health service delivery and outcomes to the Ghana Health Service.
Summary: 

MoTeCH is a joint initiative between the Grameen Foundation, Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the Ghana Health Service which uses mobile phone technology to improve health outcomes for mothers and their newborns in rural Ghana The initiative was designed in an effort to bridge the gap between community health workers and patients.

Key program components: 

MOTECH is comprised of two interrelated services. The “Mobile Midwife” application enables pregnant women and their families to receive SMS or pre-recorded voice messages on personal mobile phones that provide time-specific information about their pregnancy each week in their own language (99% have chosen voice). The messages continue through the first year of life for the newborn and reinforce well-child care practices and vaccination schedules.

There is also a “Nurse Application” that enables Community Health Nurses to electronically record care given to patients and identify women and newborns in their area that are due for care. The two components are linked so that if a patient has missed treatment that is part of the defined care schedule, the Mobile Midwife service sends a message to remind the patient to go to the clinic for that particular service and the nurse is also informed that the patient is due for treatment

The MOTECH system was launched in July 2010 in the Upper East Region of Ghana and has registered over 7,000 pregnant women and children under five. To validate the replicability of the service, expansion to the Awutu Senya district is scheduled for March 2011. A randomized control trial in the Upper East Region will be completed by Columbia University in November 2011.

Additional Information

Hide this

Need help?

Using the CHMI Programs Database

  • Browse: Browse the database by applying one or more filters to narrow your search by characteristics. Click the "x" to remove any of the filters you've selected. Click "reset search" to remove all filters and start over.
  • Search: Search the database for a specific program by typing a name or keyword into the search box.
  • Add: If the program you're looking for is not in the CHMI database, submit the program to the CHMI pipeline by clicking here to add a program profile.
  • Update: If you notice incorrect or outdated information, or would like to help complete a profile for a CHMI pipeline program, request a change by clicking here, or at the top of the program profile.

Have a question? Check the FAQs first. Don’t see your question? Contact us.