Using Mobile Phones to Support Community Health Care
19 July 2011When they become ill, children under the age of five require immediate medical attention to prevent their condition becoming more severe and ultimately life-threatening . In rural areas, their chances of survival are also reduced by the time it takes to get them to a health facility where their condition can be diagnosed and treated. This is why it is so important that diagnosis and treatment are brought directly to communities. In Uganda, this is being achieved through the training of Village Health Team members (VHTs).
To improve the system further, Malaria Consortium is piloting the use of mobile phones to transfer medical reports from community health workers to health facilities in western Uganda. This technology is helping to minimise delays and increase overall efficiency of medical care; crucial when every minute counts.
“This mobile system allows for unlimited access to reports as well as faster processing of medical information’” says Malaria Consortium Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Wilson Byamukama. “The VHTs can report stock outs and other issues requiring the attention of health facility staff.”
Read the latest case study from Uganda on how mobile phones are being used at the community level to ensure efficiency and faster distribution and processing of vital information.
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