The GSMA's Mobile for Development (mHealth) program recently launched a new cross-ecosystem partnership to provide more services to women and children across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Initial launch partners for the initiative include Gemalto, Hello Doctor, Lifesaver, Mobenzi, Mobilium, MTN, Omega Diagnostics and Samsung.
“This new mobile ecosystem partnership, developed by the GSMA, is committed to connecting the mobile and health industries to develop commercially sustainable mHealth services that meet public health needs,” GSMA chief regulatory officer Tom Phillips said.
“The companies in this partnership are working to deliver the objectives of the United Nations Every Women Every Child Global Strategy, as well as the Global Nutrition for Growth Compact, in the areas of nutrition and maternal and child health.”
According to GSMA Intelligence, the total annual, addressable market for the mHealth services includes 15.5 million pregnant women and mothers with children under five years of age.
"We call on mobile ecosystem players, health providers, governments, NGOs, civil society and others to work with us to launch life-saving mobile health services," Phillips said.
The partners will jointly launch services in seven countries - Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia - from September 2014. The second phase of the program, which commences in 2015, will incorporate additional partners and services and will address four more countries: Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.