Pan-African telecommunications company Vodacom DRC and Mondia, a private mobile technology company driven by innovation, have announced the rollout of the Mum and Baby maternal health service across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Mum and Baby is a free-of-charge mobile health intervention service that provides Vodacom DRC subscribers with maternal, neonatal and child health information designed to encourage good health practices amongst pregnant women, mothers, partners and caregivers. Mondia creates Mum and Baby’s tailored content in the local language and includes expert articles, videos and information-sharing SMS messages.
According to Mondia, Mum and Baby’s future enhancements in the DRC will provide interactive tools including a due-date calculator, an immunisation calendar, medication reminder, medication safety information and other health tools and services. The service is also available in French.
The Mum & Baby service provides positive socio-economic benefits in the geographies in which it operates. In a recent KPMG survey conducted to understand the impact of the Mum and Baby service:
- Over 95% of respondents reported that they found the SMS messages received useful or very useful for learning new information about their own and their child/children’s health and wellbeing
- 98% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they had taken actions to improve their child’s health as a result of the information provided through the Mum and Baby service
- 98% of pregnant women and mothers surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that they had taken actions to improve their own health as a result of the information provided through the Mum and Baby service
Dr AmadeoRahmann, Group CEO, Mondia, said: “Accessing healthcare services in Africa can be challenging and, Mum and Baby provides a free and convenient way of accessing instant expert advice where it is most needed. The Mum and Baby service leverages Mondia’s extensive networks and expertise in content production and curation, and we expect it to continue to deliver positive social impact wherever it is rolled out.”
“Ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all ages is one of the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with the attainment of this goal, especially as it relates to infant health, having been threatened by the burden of COVID-19 on African healthcare systems. According to the World Health Organisation, each year around 300 000 African babies die on the day of their birth, most often as a result of inadequate educational maternal and neonatal care. Initiatives that put the power of good health directly in people’s hands are more important than ever,” Dr Rahmann added.
“Mum and Baby has become our flagship health and wellness brand focusing on motherhood. We are proud of the way in which it contributes to our vision of building communities, bringing health solutions to more lives and promoting good health outcomes,” said a Vodacom DRC spokesperson. Launched in South Africa in 2017, the Mum and Baby service had 1.2 million registered subscribers as of August 2018. The next rollout of the service will take place across Lesotho later this month.