MomConnect Celebrates 9 Years Of Transforming Maternal & Child Health In South Africa
MomConnect Celebrates 9 Years Of Transforming Maternal & Child Health In South Africa. The National Department of Health in South Africa in collaboration with Reach Digital Health and global digital health company Ada Health have announced the integration of Ada’s intelligent symptom-assessment technology with the MomConnect Mobile Maternal Health platform at an event held to commemorate Breastfeeding Week.
In its 9th year since it was launched in 2014 by the Department of Health in partnership with Reach Digital Health, MomConnect is a groundbreaking digital health initiative aimed at providing pregnant women with prenatal, during and post-natal information as well as prioritising maternal and child health using mobile phones. MomConnect now offers users an accurate, accessible symptom-checking service. Provided by Ada Health, the technology will further enable women and mothers to better understand their healthcare needs and care options, and has the potential to reach as many as 1 million active MomConnect users across South Africa, with wider integration possibilities in South Africa and other countries.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, a woman dies every 2 minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth, and around 70% of all maternal deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa. The same report found that women aged 15 and above in low-income countries have a 1 in 49 chance of dying from maternal causes versus high-income countries where the chance is 1 in 5,300. According to the CDC, most causes of maternal death are preventable, so recognising warning signs and ensuring access to timely, quality care can save lives.
South African health systems are overburdened and dealing with a critical shortage of healthcare workers in hospitals, with a ratio of 0.8 doctors to every 1,000 patients in 2022, compounding the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent study found that technology could be key to better health outcomes for maternal care by relieving the burden on healthcare systems and improving health equity and accessibility in low-and-lower-middle income countries.
Debbie Rogers, CEO of Reach Digital Health says, “The need to provide accessible, regular, and accurate healthcare guidance at a time when mothers and children need it most has never been more urgent. Integrating Ada’s intelligent health technology with the MomConnect mobile platform has the potential to build on the South African National Department Of Health’s aims of providing more equitable care and improving the health outcomes in the region.”
Hila Azadzoy, Managing Director of Ada’s Global Health Initiative says, “Technology has the power to improve maternal health outcomes by improving access to relevant advice for new and expectant mothers while bolstering existing health systems by alleviating pressure on health services. Ada’s AI-powered symptom assessment platform has been adapted to local linguistic, cultural, and healthcare requirements to make it accessible to as many individuals as possible, and we’re pleased to be able to rapidly deploy this new service through our collaboration with Reach Digital Health and The Rockefeller Foundation.”
Naveen Rao, MD, Senior Vice President, Health at The Rockefeller Foundation, “Safeguarding the health and well-being of women and children should always be prioritised, and even more so during a health crisis. Technology offers us an opportunity to reach the most vulnerable with essential health services, and The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to support Ada and Reach Digital Health’s innovative approach to making this a reality in South Africa.”
