At least 15.5 million expectant women and mothers of young infants are expected to benefit from an mHealth initiative aimed at harnessing mobile technology towards reach, following a new partnership between Samsung, World Health Organisation (WHO) and the GSM Association (GSMA).
Through the partnership, Samsung will ensure that mothers have easy access to vital health services through mobile technology.
The programme will be rolled out in two phases. The first one will be launched in seven countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia) in September 2014. The second phase will include Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania in the second phase, which begins in 2015.
The initiative will provide socially relevant solutions to the needs of customers with mobile telephonic technology that offers opportunities to deliver healthcare, an area in which Samsung Electronics has become an industry leader through various innovations that seek to promote healthy lifestyles.
Users will benefit from easy access to much-needed information on healthcare such as from diagnosing ailments and identifying required inventions.
“Mobile technology bridges the information gap caused by geographical distances that make access to medical advice and care major problems for millions of African women and children. By leveraging its existing reach and market penetration across the continent, Samsung will play an integral role in making healthcare accessible to consumers,” said Robert Ngeru, Samsung Vice President for East and Central Africa.
“As the leading mobile device brand on the continent Samsung is able to leverage the affinity which consumers already have for our brand and use it to add impetus to the goal of providing much needed access to healthcare information to people who need it most.”
The partnership will reduce barriers to handset ownership and connectivity for consumers and health workers as Samsung will offer discounted Samsung handsets and tablets to consumers and health workers across Africa.
Samsung said it will integrate the SmartHealth app on its smartphones being shipped across Africa thereby ensuring that healthcare workers and consumers have access to the information they require.
