Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

RapidSMS, Malawi

last updated Jan 18, 2012

Overview

Implementing organization: 
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Legal Status: 
Public-private partnership
Year Launched: 
January 2009
Stage: 
Pilot/startup stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
All income levels

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor
Additional Source(s) of Funding: 
Government
Funders: 
UNICEF

Technology

Technology Used: 
Computer › Apps/Software, Phones › SMS/MMS (Text Message)
Technology Purpose: 
Improving Data Management › Data Collection, Improving Diagnosis and Treatment
Summary: 

RapidSMS works to address serious constraints within Malawi's National Integrated Nutrition and Food Security Surveillance (INFSS) System, which faces slow data transmission, incomplete and poor quality data sets, high operational costs and low levels of stakeholder ownership.

Key program components: 

RapidSMS allows health workers to enter a child’s data, and through an innovative feedback loop system, it instantly alerts field monitors of their patients’ nutritional status. Automated basic diagnostic tests are now identifying more children with moderate malnutrition who were previously falling through the cracks. This system also increases local ownership of the larger surveillance program through two-way information exchange. Operational costs for the RapidSMS system are significantly less than the current data collection system.

The Government of Malawi, pleased by the results of the pilot, plans on scaling RapidSMS up nationally later in 2010. They are also interested in expanding this to a country wide campaign to register child births, as well as deploying RapidSMS in other sectors, including education and HIV/AIDS.

Additional Information

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