PharmAccess mobilizes public and private resources for the benefit of doctors and patients through clinical standards and quality improvements, loans for healthcare providers, health insurance, mHealth innovations and operational research.
In Kisumu County, Kenya, a routine antenatal visit can mean a 30-kilometre journey. One many expectant mothers never make. Without regular monitoring, complications go undetected, contributing to high maternal and neonatal mortality in the region.
SafeMamaTech was created to change that. Building on PharmAccess’s MomCare programme, it brings together County Government of Kisumu, PharmAccess, Delft Imaging and Invest International, around one question: how do we reach pregnant women that most health systems miss?
Technology is part of the answer. BabyChecker – an AI-enabled ultrasound solution – allows trained health workers to perform examinations outside the clinic. Results connect directly to digital health records, ensuring continuity of care, while the health information exchange platform links facilities to enable better referrals for pregnant women.
Recently, PharmAccess joined a dialogue in The Hague on how digital tools are advancing maternal and child healthcare globally, with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Gates Foundation, Delft Imaging, Philips, and Kisumu County Government. Teresa Ogada, a nurse from Kisumu County, shared what this looks like in practice.
One of her patients had missed an antenatal check-up. She couldn’t leave home while caring for twins. Teresa went to her, performed an ultrasound, and made sure she received the care she needed. Her goal: “A happy mother and a healthy baby.”
That’s the shift SafeMamaTech is driving: not just better tools but care that fits around people’s lives. Already, BabyChecker has reached hundreds of mothers who otherwise would have gone unseen.
This is how digital health closes the gap, by bringing lifesaving care to the doorstep of women who need it most.
