Despite challenges mainly attendant to the shortcomings of the health sector in general, including inadequate medical equipment and supplies, maternity wards and medical personnel, pregnant women in rural areas encounter much more difficulties when it comes to accessing proper antenatal care.
Contrary to the situation as relates to an expectant mother in an urban setting, the pregnant woman’s challenge in a marginalised village is not only the shortage of medical equipment and whatnot, but also the distance from her home to the nearest health care facility.
In other words, the fact that in rural areas health facilities are not always in the vicinity of all residential areas; makes it the biggest barrier to pregnant women accessing antenatal care or deliver their babies with the help of a well trained birth attendant, something that puts the mothers and infants’ lives at risk.
A few years back, before an extensive public awareness campaign onthe importance of giving birth in health care facilities, the vast majority of rural women would happily choose to deliver their babies at home (as per their taboos) regardless of whether there were hospitals in their vicinity or not.
However, after years of sensitisation by stakeholders and the government, their perception has changed as it has become evident that more pregnant women in rural areas are now willing to give birth in hospitals.
Ironically, the majority of these womenwho have now embraced the process of giving birth in healthcare facilities, are subjected to deliver their babies at home as a result of the long distance between their homes and the nearest health care centre, which more often than not leads to complications and even death for the mother and/or newborn.
It is estimated that almost half of pregnant women in Tanzania give birth at home partly owing to the distance problem; the percentage falling under this category is basically drawn from the rural demographic.
As a result, pregnant women in the most remote rural areas where one has to travel some kilometers to get to the nearest healthcare facility are likely to fall victims of maternal deaths.
However, with reliable round the clock transportation services for pregnant women in these areas, such deaths can be prevented by far.
With this in mind, Vodacom Tanzania and Vodafone through the Vodacom Foundation found a way to incorporate mobile technology into addressing the transportation problem amongst pregnant women in rural areas where health care facilities aren’t always in the vicinity of some residential areas.
After carrying out research and trials, early this month the Vodacom Foundation embarked on yet another phase of the Moyo project, this time around focusing solely on enhancing healthcare provision for pregnant women in rural areas.
Among other things, Phase II of the Moyo project has focused on helping out pregnant women, mothers and their infants reach health care facilities when need arise by paying local taxi drivers (through M-Pesa) who are already connected to a mobile application that allows pregnant women to call them 24/7 once there is an urgency to get to a health facility.
Basically, the program connects pregnant women with a network of 100 taxi drivers who are in turn paid through M-Pesa.
The taxi drivers are trained to receive the emergency calls made by the expectant mothers 24/7 and drive them to a nearest hospital, which is always found some kilometers away.The programis projected to save lives of 225 mothers and babies each month.
Since putting this arrangement into action in August last year, the Vodacom Foundation has managed to save lives of 450 pregnant women and infants, particularly in rural areas, which was the purpose of the project this time around.
“The second phase of our program is designed to help rural women receive more comprehensive health care.
Our M-Pesa technology has again facilitated this, as we are able to pay local private transport suppliers to drive women to facilities when necessary,” said Vodacom Tanzania Managing Director, Ian Ferraoon March 3rd, at the launch of Phase II of the Moyo project in Sengerema District, Mwanza Region.
Besides helping out pregnant women and their infants with transportation, phase II of the program has also trained community health workers on a mobile application dubbed ‘Community Health Worker app.
This provides education and information to women and their families about the importance of antenatal care, and assists them in early identification of danger signs in pregnancy. So far, a total of 16,000 women have enrolled for this remarkably useful app.
Recognising Vodacom’s contribution in improving the health sector through its various projects under the Vodacom Foundation, the government through Health, Social Welfare, Gender, Elderly and Children Deputy Minister Dr Hamisi Kigwangala has promised support to Vodacom and all stakeholders who invest in improving the health sector.
The Moyo project, an initiative under the Vodacom Foundation, focuses on ‘Maternal Health Mobilisation’ in a bid to contribute to the country’s effort of reducing maternal deaths.
Phase I of the project was launched in 2009 with focus on prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula by sending bus fare through M-Pesa to women across the country who needed the treatment to go to a Dar es Salaam-based hospital and rehabilitation centre that specialises in such services.
Through Vodacom Foundation, Vodacom Tanzania and Vodafone continues to contribute to improving the health sector in the country, the major aim being to make the initiatives more sustainable.
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