Many governments, donors and program implementers are enthusiastic about the role of mobile phones and associated technologies in a wide range of initiatives, including strengthening health systems and improving health outcomes.
Groups such as the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action are convening thought leaders in mHealth and maternal child health. There is also a growing body of evidence that mHealth can support maternal and child health goals in some critical areas.
However, over the last few years there has been growing conversation about what some call mHealth “pilotitis” — the phenomenon that while there have been many mHealth pilots, from sub-Saharan Africa to South Asia, the majority have not been taken to scale, with even fewer success stories.
About the author
Kaakpema Yelpaala
Kaakpema Yelpaala is a social entrepreneur with several years of experience in global health and international development, working in both the private and nonprofit sectors. He has founded two social enterprises in his career: access.mobile, a mobile health enterprise he currently leads, and a nonprofit that worked on rural health programs in Ghana and Tanzania in partnership with health ministries and other stakeholders.