Supporting maternal health in Africa
Around the world, more than 800 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Research shows that, in Cameroon, less than 60 per cent of women receive the recommended amount of care during pregnancy. Orange Cameroon is working with mobile health start-up GiftedMom, which provides pregnant women and new mothers with health information and monitoring services. This is available on various platforms, including USSD, SMS, Web and an app.
GiftedMom was one of three start-ups selected to join Orange Cameroon’s business accelerator programme in 2016 and the company has also integrated its billing APIs in the service. As mum-of-one Yvonne explained, “GiftedMom’s app has really been a great help to me. Having doctors on call and texts is hugely helpful. I can ask questions and get prompt answers to get a better understanding of my health and that of my child.” Healthcare professionals report that GiftedMom has helped to increase patient retention and vaccination rates.
In late 2018, GiftedMom also received a grant from the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator Innovation Fund to develop two apps (a natal app and a nursing app) that reward participants with tokens to pay for healthcare. GiftedMom plans to support an additional 100,000 women through these apps.
