New mobile e-health platform saving lives in remote Kenya

Anthony Khaemba (left) and Bonface Beti talk about the new WelTel technology on the sidelines of a recent ICT conference in Nairobi. SARAH OOKO 

By SARAH OOKO

In Summary

• As her neighbours were tossing and turning on bed, having their well-deserved rest, this woman was writhing in pain at her house and had even begun bleeding.

It is every mother’s wish to carry her pregnancy to term and have a safe delivery while bringing a new life into the world.

But sometimes this dream remains just that, a dream. Whereas all lives matter and universal quality healthcare is intended for all, a huge proportion of Kenyan women are usually disadvantaged mainly due to their economic status and geographical location.

That was the case early this year at a remote village in Isiolo County known as Leparua. A young woman in her early 30s was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her newborn when things took a rough turn during the night.

As her neighbours were tossing and turning on bed, having their well-deserved rest, this woman was writhing in pain at her house and had even begun bleeding.

As is usually the case whenever such complications arise in marginalised communities living far away from health centres, she could have easily lost her life or that of the unborn baby.

Luckily, the woman remembered that she had her ‘saviour’ within her reach. So she took her phone and immediately sent a text message with the word ‘‘shida’ ‘ to a specified short code number.

Immediately, that message hit the computer tablet and mobile phone screens of a team of m-Health experts who had been remotely checking on her wellbeing every now and then during her pregnancy.

They did not disappoint. After calling to inquire about the problem and assuring her that all would be well, they immediately contacted the Isiolo County Referral Hospital reproductive health department which sent an ambulance to pick up the woman.

Upon her arrival, doctors performed an emergency caesarean section surgery which saved the life of the mother and the baby.

Thanks to technology, this woman’s dream and that of many others like her are now being increasingly realised in northern Kenya.

This has been made possible through the roll out of a phone and web based platform known WelTel.
Mr Anthony Khaemba, county co-ordinator of WelTel International m-Health Society told the Business Daily that the organisation developed the technology with an aim of improving maternal and child health indicators in northern Kenya.

WATCH: New digital platform set to improve health services in northern Kenya

Indeed, the current 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey shows that the region is lagging behind in the coverage of key interventions aimed at curbing maternal deaths in the country.

For instance, only 29 per cent of expectant women in the region deliver at health facilities compared to a whopping 90 per cent in Nairobi. Similarly, only 37 per cent of pregnant women attend the recommended four antenatal care clinic visits against 73 per cent in Nairobi.

Furthermore, a huge proportion of the top 10 counties with the highest maternal mortality rates in Kenya come from the north eastern region. But this is now slowly changing with the new technolog

Every Monday, expectant mothers registered on the WelTel platform receive weekly check-in text messages (SMS) with the Swahili word ‘mambo’ (How are you?).

They are then required to send their responses by Wednesday at no cost. Those who are fine respond with ‘sawa’ while those encountering problems respond with ‘shida’.

These responses are reflected on the WelTel web platform, computer tablets as well as the mobile phones of relevant health workers in selected hospital facilities in the region.

Mothers whose responses were ‘shida’ are then followed up with calls from the health facility or WelTel that aim at addressing any pregnancy related challenges that they may be facing.

“We work closely with the hospital team to give health talks to mothers on various pregnancy related matters and link them to appropriate facilities where they can get quality care,” said Boniface Beti, an expert in the technology.

Aside from the weekly check-up communication, WelTel also sends text messages to women after 32 and 36 weeks of their pregnancy so as to remind them to deliver at health facilities.

Mothers unable to do this for one reason or another can reply with‘shida’ to get help.

Thereafter, through the intervention of partners like Amref, USAid and Grand Challenges that support this initiative, women living far from health facilities get transport to the hospital at no cost.

“This continuous two-way communication makes the women feel that someone cares about their wellbeing. They begin viewing the healthcare workers as friends and are therefore more likely to listen to the advice they give,” said MrKhaemba.

A major reason why women shun hospital deliveries or seek care from traditional healers is often due to mistrust of health workers. But thanks to the platform these attitudes are starting to change.

After giving birth, WelTel does not ‘abandon’ the mother. The platform continues to send SMSs to women to remind them of the immunisation schedule for their children.

Fully vaccinated children are protected from a myriad of deadly childhood illnesses.

Aside from the focus on maternal and child health matters, the platform also enrols people living with HIV/Aids.

“Our goal is to ensure that they adhere to their ARV drugs for better health outcomes and good quality of life,” explained Mr Beti.

Marginalised areas

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A study published in the Lancet that assessed the impact of the technology found that patients who received SMS support from WelTel had significantly improved ARV adherence and consequently higher rates of viral suppression than those that did not benefit from the technology.

Patients send a message with the word ‘shida’ whenever they are facing problems such as dealing with side effects of the drugs, battling incessant coughs or seeking information on how to take the drugs.

“Health workers then call and advise them on what to do to address such challenges,” said Mr Khaemba.

Currently, the WelTel technology is operating in Isiolo and Samburu counties. Plans are underway to launch it in Turkana in the coming months.

Even though it may take years for health infrastructure to be fully developed in marginalised areas like north eastern Kenya, technologies such as WelTel are bridging this access gap, thanks to the high mobile phone penetration in the country.

sarahooko@gmail.com