About Mobile Health Services
In order to Strengthen Public Health Infrastructure, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Mobile Health Services–
- Mobile Academy
- Kilkari
- M-Cessation and TB Missed Call initiative.
Mobile Academy:
- It is a free audio training course designed to expand and refresh the knowledge base of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and improve their communication skills.
- It offers ASHAs a training opportunity via their mobile phones which is both cost-effective and efficient.
- It reduces the need to travel – sometimes great distances – and provides them the flexibility they need to learn at their own pace and at times they find convenient.
- It was launched in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
Kilkari:
- Kilkari, which means ‘a baby’s gurgle’, delivers free, weekly, time-appropriate 72 audio messages about pregnancy, child birth and child care directly to families’ mobile phones from the second trimester of pregnancy until the child is one year old.
- It was launched in Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and High Priority Districts (HPDs) of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in the first phase.
Aims
Together(Mobile Academy & Kilkari), these services aim to improve family health – including family planning, reproductive, maternal and child health, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene – by generating demand for healthy practices by empowerment and capacity building at the individual and community level, and by creating an enabling environment.
M-Cessation:
- It aims at reaching out to those willing to quit tobacco use and support them towards successful quitting through text messages sent via mobile phones.
- When offered along with traditional services, M-Cessation has been found to be cost-effective in comparison to traditional options for cessation support.
- This is the first time in the world that such a two way service is being provided as part of any mHealth initiative.
TB Missed Call initiative:
- Under TB Missed Call initiative, a helpline with a toll free number will provide information, counselling and treatment support services for TB.
- Under this campaign the callers can give a missed call or call for free to get information related to TB symptoms, treatment services available, address and contact details of the nearest treatment facility etc.
- Initially the service was available to people in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.
Significance
The m-health initiatives launched will enhance access; make our services cost effective and our systems more robust. This launch, which was a part of the Government’s Digital India programme
