One of the first conversations that I had with my partner Dr. Nong and OVA in Salavan, Laos was about mobile technologies. We excitedly talked about getting mobile phones into the hands of people in remote villages. They would be able to contact nurses and get advice during pregnancy. But then we hit the stumbling block: who exactly would get the phones?Now that we are moving forward with training CleanBirth Volunteers we should revisit this topic.
I was nudged into rethinking how mobile technology would dovetail nicely with the new step of having a trained volunteer in every village by an interview with Steve Davis the President and CEO of PATH: “DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION IN THE POOREST AND MOST REMOTE PLACES IN THE WORLD” (It is part of this series).
Here’s a quote from Steve Davis:
One of the most promising mobile interventions I’m seeing right now is our mobile midwife platform. It gives midwives in rural areas a mobile device that provides on-the-spot guidance for making clinical decisions, collecting data, and educating patients so that these midwives can provide even better care for mothers and babies. It’s breaking down boundaries to care and helping more families get access to high-quality health services, even when they live a day’s walk from a clinic.
My thought is that trained CleanBirth volunteers could phone the nurses with data about distribution of kits, report on the health of mothers, and get potentially life-saving information to share with mothers.
The next step is to learn whether this is feasible and whether distant villages in southern Laos have cellular service.
sara david says
Great idea. This is something I’ve thought about too for remote villages of East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea. Satellite phones are another option although expensive, but with the right training to use & maintain them, and the right funding, it will really make a difference & help save lives. Good luck and I’ll follow your journey with interest!!