Text Messaging to Help Deliver Health Services in Rural Uganda
Dec 01 2009, Uganda [UG], Health
- Source:
- Marc Lepage [mlepage(at)iicd.org]
- Country:
- Uganda [UG]
- Sector:
- Health
A text messaging system will be introduced in the Jinja District of Eastern Uganda to improve rural access to health information and services. Text to Change together with Health Child will launch the system on 3 December. The project is supported by IICD.
The text service will focus on family planning, HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, treatment and maternal health. The programme will include an interactive quiz on health prevention and promotion, and be available in both English and Luganda.
The majority of the people benefiting from the text service live in poor fishing and underserved communities. Local NGO Health Child works with communities, local leadership and public and private health facility workers to implement a range of activities aimed to improve children’s health.
The aim is to improve the speed and efficiency of the current flow of information to rural areas. It will also benefit the Ministry of Health’s recently instituted National Health Information Management System by providing support for data collection, analysis and SMS-based query consultation.
The new services will complement the government’s interventions in this area and will contribute towards achievement of Health Child’s objectives of creating a safe, secure and healthy environment for young mothers, children, and young female care givers. The project is a perfect example of how the use of new information technologies can help innovate and enhance development.
Read more in the press release on the Text to Change website.