New IT based health initiatives

J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, on December 25, on the occasion of Good Governance Day to mark the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Madan Mohan Malaviya, announced four new IT-based initiatives. A major IT initiative, Kilkari, is an audio-based mobile service that delivers weekly audio messages to families about pregnancy, child birth and child care.

Each pregnant woman and infant’s mother, registered in Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS), a web- enabled name-based system to monitor and ensure delivery of full spectrum of services to all pregnant women and children, would receive weekly voice messages relevant to the stage of pregnancy or age of the infant.

The 72 messages would reach the targeted beneficiaries from the 4th month of pregnancy until the child is one year old. Such messages will empower and educate women and parents to help create a better environment in maternal and child health.

The Health Minister also stated that a new mobile-based application, Mobile Academy, has been developed through which about 90,00,000 ASHAs will be trained using mobile services. This will aid in enhancing their inter-personal skills.

Once registered, ASHAs can access the 240-minute course via their mobile phones. Digital bookmarking technology enables ASHAs to complete the course at their own pace.

The course is divided into eleven chapters each containing four lessons. There is a quiz at the end of each chapter. ASHAs successfully completing the course by securing more than minimum prescribed marks will receive a certificate of completion from the government.

In order to make the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) more patient-centric, a dedicated toll-free number 1800-11–6666, with a call centre is being started to provide round-the-clock support for patient counselling and treatment support services.

This call centre will have trained personnel to provide feedback to patients and also link or refer chest symptomatic persons to RNTCP services. Under this initiative, callers can give a missed call or call to get complete support for diagnosis, treatment and support for the completion of treatment. This initiative is being started in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.

Nadda also announced ‘M-Cessation.’ This is be an IT-enabled tool to help tobacco users quit tobacco. It will register beneficiaries on the basis of a missed call. The counselling would be done through a two-way SMS process.