How SMS saves lives and even fights counterfeiting

Image by flickr/sparktography

According to World Bank reports, mobile cellular subscriptions in low income countries have grown to a whopping 22% in just 8 years (2000 -2007) while internet has succumbed to single digit growth rates.
 
Several social innovators have recognized the potential of mobile technology in addressing healthcare issues in developing countries and have directed their energies to capitalize on its prevalence. While mobile technology is not the answer to all healthcare problems, it certainly has the potential to reach masses in the developing world that lack access to basic healthcare.

Telemedicine  – the use of telecommunications in delivering clinical care -  is an emerging concept in many developing nations. The Ugandan government has started a pilot project ICT4MPOWER utilizing mobile technology to transfer medical data for treatment, to collect referral information and also for building case histories. Trained health workers are responsible for imparting the required care. This Independent article explains how mobile phones make this feasible.

There are similar stories in other parts of Africa and Asia. SMS messaging is used as a means to send periodic health alerts in rural areas where preventive care is still a myth. Mobile games and quizzes are used to increase awareness on HIV/AIDs in Africa and India. Health-Line, a medical call centre in Bangladesh receives over 10,000 calls a day from registered mobile users seeking medical advice.

Mpedigree in Ghana, the brainchild of Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow Bright Simons  fights counterfeit drugs, making use of mobile technology. IMANI centre for policy and education reports that close to 50% of drugs sold in Ghana are counterfeit. You can understand the gravity of this issue in this mpedigree video.

At the point of purchase, the consumer sends a unique code associated with the packaged medicine in an SMS text message to an mpedigree designated number. The real time response message will tell the authenticity of the item.

The success of all these efforts depends on participation from the community which is also driven by access to mobile phones. Over the past few years, cost of owning a mobile phone has fallen significantly making it more affordable to low income families.

This article was written by one of our volunteer bloggers, meera.