Nigeria: Maternal, Infant Mortality - Mobile Midwife, Dial-A-Doctor To The Rescue

As part of efforts to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates in Nigeria, communications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has unveiled innovative mobile health services dubbed Mobile Midwife and Dial-a-Doctor.  Mobile Midwife is a tailored mobile service designed to provide vital healthcare and nutrition information while the Dial-A-Doctor service, provides real-time help to pregnant women, nursing mothers and mothers with children under five years of age.  A World Health Organisation, WHO, report, classifies Nigeria as one of the 10 countries contributing about 60 per cent of the world's maternal mortality burden.

Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel, Mr. Maurice Newa said the Insurance services launched in partnership with Grameen Foundation and VAS2nets Technologies Limited also offer unhindered access to adequate healthcare services and medical advisories to the target group.  Mobile Midwife service comes in two variants - Pre-natal services and new born/mother services, both services aimed at improving antenatal seeking behaviour of pregnant women and access to validated health and nutrition information.  Newa said the Dial-a-Doctor service offers subscribers first-hand opportunity to speak to a doctor by dialling 67777 at N30 per minute.

"To subscribe and register for the Mobile Midwife pre-natal services, customers are expected to dial 1561. Upon registration, subscribers receive calls once a week, with information tailored to their stage of pregnancy. They can also call in and speak to experienced medical personnel at any time...