Practice title:Â Â Traditional birth attendants using some information technologies contribute to reduction of maternal mortality
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Country:Â Â Uganda
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Domain:Â Â Telecommunications & Informatics
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Technology:Â Â Community Development
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Bearers of Knowledge:Â Traditional birth attendants
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Summary: The Rural Extended Services and Care for Ultimate Emergency Relief (RESCUER) pilot project launched in March 1996, in Iganga District, Uganda, addresses the problem of high maternal mortality. The project helped empower a network of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) to partner with the public health service centers (PHC) to deliver health care to pregnant women. This resulted in increased and more timely patient referrals as well as the delivery of health care to a larger number of pregnant women. Modern technology was used to enable the TBAs to refer patients to the PHCs. This involved the installation of a solar powered VHF radio communication system that included fixed base stations at the PHCs, mobile 'walkie talkies' with the TBAs, and vehicle radios in the referral hospital ambulances and the District Medical Officer’s vehicle. A notable impact of the project was that Maternal mortality declined by more than 50% over a period of three years.
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Lesson:Â Enabling and empowering Traditional Birth Attendants can increase the reach of public health services and reduce the incidence of maternal mortality.
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Source: The Challenge and opportunities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the health sector by Maria G. N. Musoke, prepared for the African Development Forum (ADF) ’99; Maria G. N. Musoke, Makerere University, Uganda.
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| Email: Â lip97mgm@sheffield.ac.uk |
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