(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) A three-day regional conference on mobile health kicked off in Lilongwe on Wednesday at which participants will discuss how the use of mobile technologies can improve maternal and child health.
"We must invest more in mobile technology as the number of people using mobile phones continues to grow, so that life-saving messages can reach more people, including mothers," Malawian Health Minister Jean Kalilani told attendees.
The minister said mobile technology can play a key role in reducing child mortality rates in Africa and improve maternal and child health on the continent.
The three-day meeting will tackle how the use of digital health can overcome barriers to ending preventable child and maternal deaths and help achieve universal health coverage.
The conference is hosted by Kalilani's ministry in conjunction with USAID.
Attending the event are teams from 15 African countries, including representatives of government, the private sector, civil society and donor organizations.
Douglas Arbuckle, USAID mission head in Malawi, said there was an opportunity to use digital tools to spread health messages as mobile-phone ownership continues to grow worldwide, particularly in developing countries.
"Mobile technology has the potential to be a game-changing solution to problems that are specific to health-system strengthening in low-resource settings," he told delegates.
"Mobile phones can enhance access to health information; improve distribution of routine and emergency health information and services; support more timely and precise diagnostic services; and support just-in-time training of health workers," Arbuckle added.
Participants described mobile technology as a "powerful tool" for reaching those who may otherwise be left out of development strategies, such as adolescents, at-risk populations, rural populations and women.
"Young people, for example, are early adopters of mobile technology and could be targeted, both as potential technology developers, as well as beneficiaries of mobile-enabled services and healthcare systems," said Hasan Mchinda, director-general of Tanzania's Science and Technology Department.
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