mSakhi App Adapted for Noncommunicable Diseases in Jharkhand, India

In the state of Uttar Pradesh, community health workers have been using mSakhi to monitor maternal and child care, conduct counseling, and more (above). Now in neighboring Jharkhand, frontline health workers are using the app to screen clients for diabetes and hypertension. Photo by Vijay Kutty for IntraHealth InternationalJanuary 12, 2018The Department of Health of Jharkhand, India, is using themSakhi mobile app as part of its ambitious program to screen clients in Ranchi district for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) with a focus on hypertension and diabetes.One in four Indians is at risk of dying prematurely —that is, before the age of 70—from an NCD,according to the World Health Organization (WHO). India is the first country to adapt the WHO ’s global monitoring framework to address NCDs by developing specific national targets and indicators to reduce the global number of related premature deaths by 25% by 2025.mSakhi, which is developed byIntraHealth International, was originally designed as a job aid for frontline health workers in rural India. In Jhansi, which lies in the adjoining state of Uttar Pradesh, hundreds of community health workers called ASHAs (or accredited social health activists) have been using mSakhi to update their skills, stay in touch with their supervisors, and track and report crucial data about health issues in their communities. They also use the app to refer clients to specialists and teach new parents how to protect their babies from infect...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news