Vodacom Tanzania has launched a free Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby Text Messaging Service (HPHB) that will provide mothers with information during pregnancy as well as during early child care.
Known as Wazazi nipendeni , the initiative is run mHealth partnership (Ministry of Health & CDC Foundation) will also inform about impending post natal visits, breastfeeding and family planning.
So far, 225,000 Vodacom subscribers have registered for the HPHB and are well into receiving over 18 million messages and reminders on pregnancy for their babies.
While speaking at the launch, Vodacom Tanzania’s Chief Officer of Corporate Affairs Georgia Mutagahywa said: “In July 2014 Vodacom through the Vodacom Foundation committed to ‘zero rate’ these messages for at least one year. The value of our investment in this initiative will be an estimated USD 750,000 (over Tshs 1,200,000,000 /-) by July 2015.”
Tanzania’s Minister for Health and Social Welfare Hon. Dr Seif Suleiman hailed the Vodacom Foundation, CDC and other partners for the initiative adding that available data indicates that one in every 38 women in Tanzania faces the imminent danger of a maternal related death while about 48,000 children lose their lives in early infancy.
