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Mobile technology and improved emergency care

What you need to know:

  • M-mama is a mobile-based emergency transportation system focused on pregnant women in Tanzania. Implemented by the Vodacom Tanzania Foundation, it connects mothers to nearby ambulances or community drivers, potentially saving lives.

By Isai Mathias

Imagine you're feeling unwell and need to get to the hospital quickly. If you live in a place where there aren't enough ambulances or they take too long to arrive, what do you do?

This is a situation faced by many people around the world, especially in developing countries like Tanzania. Fortunately, new technology combined with teamwork, has stepped in.

When you require immediate medical attention, all you need is a phone with 2G or 3G connectivity.

Rapid-response healthcare networks are a key area of innovation. Solutions like M-mama and the Tanzania Rural Health Movement (TRHM) are demonstrating promising results in nearly their decade of existence.

As David James, a former director at Barclays Bank Kenya, noted: "The UK's ambulance system has a lower response time compared to TRHM’s street medicine crew."

This evidence suggests that African-origin business models offer valuable insights for global healthcare delivery, despite initial skepticism about their applicability to other regions.

These networks solve an important problem: access to timely and effective care, especially in under-resourced settings.

M-mama is a mobile-based emergency transportation system focused on pregnant women in Tanzania. Implemented by the Vodacom Tanzania Foundation, it connects mothers to nearby ambulances or community drivers, potentially saving lives.

With a 38 percent reduction in maternal fatalities in Shinyanga alone, M-mama demonstrates the power of technology in bridging healthcare access gaps.

The success of M-mama is attributed to a strong public-private partnership (PPP) between the Vodacom Tanzania Foundation, the Vodafone Foundation, and the Tanzanian government.

This collaboration underscores the importance of government support in scaling up healthcare innovations.

As US Ambassador to Tanzania Michael Beatle stated, "This type of public-private partnership, which begins with the host government's dream, represents the best kind of development diplomacy.”

M-mama's impact extends beyond Tanzania, where it first began in 2013. With aspirations to transport over 300,00 women, empower more than 1,400+ community dispatchers, and save over 9,000 lives by 2027" (Vodafone), the programme has also been successfully implemented in Lesotho and Kenya. More countries may be underway.

While M-mama focuses on emergency transport, the TRHM is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to improving pre-hospital emergency care in Mwanza, Tanzania's second-largest city.

Their community response project, powered by "Beacon Software," utilizes trained first responders (bodaboda drivers) to reach patients within an average of seven minutes.

As TRHM reports, "Up to date they have responded to about 3,300 incidents and many lives have been served.”

TRHM's work extends beyond immediate response.

Its street medicine programme provides medical services, basic needs, and support for safe and permanent residence to street children and elderly people.

Additionally, they collaborate with the local government on mass drug administration for neglected tropical diseases, like Schistosomiasis which is prevalent in the Lake Zone.

To ensure the long-term viability of its projects, TRHM established the Bisou Bailey Medical Dispensary. This primary healthcare facility generates income that supports its life-saving initiatives.

M-mama and TRHM represent two successful models of rapid response healthcare networks in Tanzania.

Their innovative approaches, combined with strong partnerships and government support, provide valuable lessons for improving healthcare delivery globally.

As these programmes continue to scale and adapt, they hold immense potential to save lives and improve health outcomes for people across Africa and beyond.