[UgaBYTES] IPS-AFRICA: Growing Use of Cellphones for Family Planning

[ndaulasula at ugabytes.org]

AFRICA: Growing Use of Cellphones for Family Planning

Susan Anyangu

KAMPALA Nov 19 (IPS) - The growth of cellphone use
 particularly in the developing world is providing health 
experts with a new channel of communication to provide family 
planning information.

The number of mobile subscribers is increasing at a dramatic
 rate with the number of global cellphone subscribers in 2006 
being estimated at 2.5 billion of an estimated global population 
of 6.6 billion says David Cantor a senior technical manager of 
ICF Macro - a U.S.-based research firm.

 These figures are expected to grow to 3.3 billion or
 approximately half of the world’s population by 2010 with the 
greatest growth in Asia the Middle East and Africa.

 Cantor who was attending the International Conference on
 Family Planning held in Kampala Uganda Nov. 15-18 says there 
is growing interest in the health sector in capitalising on this 
rapid uptake of mobile communication.

 One World’s Mobile4Good in Kenya uses cellphone technology to
 inform subscribers about opportunities for free exams or 
treatment and also provides a question-and-answer service that 
allows individuals to ask sensitive health questions.

 In South Africa and Botswana cellular technology is being used
 to remind people needing to take medicines at regular intervals.

 Jamaica Corker of Population Services International (PSI) - a
 global health programme targeting malaria child survival 
HIV/AIDS and reproductive health - says a project in the 
Democratic Republic of Congo where mobile users call a toll-free 
line to request family planning related information has shown the 
power of mobile technology.

 Since 2005 PSI has run a toll-free line through which callers
 can speak to trained educators and get accurate information 
about family planning or a referral to the nearest clinic or 
pharmacy where one is available in the caller’s location.

 While at the onset the project was aimed at reaching more
 women we have learned that mobile technology is an effective 
way of reaching men with family planning messages Corker says.

 Since men are the majority of mobile phone owners many call
 on behalf of their wives and girlfriends and we are able to pass 
the message to them as well.

 The use of PSIs toll-free line by men seeking family planning
 information could indicate encouraging growth interest in family 
planning by men perhaps facilitated by the privacy communicating 
by phone allows.

 With the cost of mobile technology steadily falling Cantor
 says the stage is set for more rapid development in the sector.

 Aside from providing family planning information mobile phones
 are being used as patient monitoring devices. Mobile phones are 
also being used to collect community and clinical health data 
for sending information to health workers researchers and 
patients and to monitor patients vital signs.

  (FIN/2009)