The initiative aims to enhance maternal and child health outcomes by leveraging mobile technology to provide timely and relevant support to women across the country.

The system, known as "Nurse Mary," is championed by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and supported by Jacaranda Health to deliver time-sensitive information to pregnant women and offer reminders about upcoming appointments, information on expected symptoms, and self-care tips on nutrition and hygiene, among others.

The launch was characterised by a role play in Twi, Ga, and Ewe languages to depict how the system works and its benefits for pregnant women, mothers, and infants.

Dr. Sally Quartey, the Tema Metropolitan Director of Health Services, said the Ghana Health Service (GHS) introduced a policy that assigned each pregnant woman to a specific midwife to improve personalised care and foster a stronger connection between expectant mothers and healthcare providers.

Dr. Quartey, however, said there could be instances when a midwife might be engaged elsewhere when a pregnant woman required urgent attention, noting that the SMS system would address this challenge and provide timely, relevant, and accessible health information to pregnant women and mothers.

She mentioned that Tema Metro was one of the districts the project was being piloted in, adding that it had significantly empowered women to make informed decisions about their health while also providing feedback to healthcare providers.

"After the pilot phase, women now receive messages informing them about critical stages of their pregnancy; for instance, if they are supposed to feel foetal movements at a certain stage but do not, they can send a text message to 384 to seek guidance. In some cases, if urgent care is needed, they receive a prompt response directing them to the appropriate healthcare providers or facility," she stated.

She expressed confidence that the SMS initiative would enable women to quickly identify danger signs, seek medical assistance promptly, and enhance maternal and neonatal health outcomes.

Mr. John Hammond, an official from Jacaranda Health, said his outfit was an international organisation that partnered with government and health facilities to implement cost-effective digital health interventions, with their services targeting service users, providers, and healthcare managers.

Mr. Hammond said the initiative had been named "Promoting Mothers in Pregnancy and Postpartum through SMS" to empower women with information to recognise danger signs during pregnancy and seek immediate medical attention when necessary.

He noted that the initiative had begun in the Greater Accra Region and would be extended to the entire country by the end of the year.
He said to enroll in the service, women could register by dialing 'MAMA' to 384 through an SMS where they would receive further details in English and Twi.
He added that they were ensuring that all pregnant women and mothers, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status, could benefit from the free service.