FUNDING
Tavola Valdese
STATUS
Open
LOCATION
Ambanja, Madagascar
KIND OF INTERVENTION
Development
PHASE I
Objective: improve and standardize prenatal screening for women through an innovative telemedicine program.
The Mobile Health system requires a Smartphone (icon friendly) that guides the operator to carry out standardized prenatal visits according to WHO guidelines, collecting personal and medical history information, measurements (blood pressure, weight, height, temperature) and rapid tests (HIV, syphilis, malaria, haemoglobin, glucose). One photovoltaic charging pack (PANDA Point of Care) containing diagnostic tools connected via Bluetooth or NFC on the mobile phone. Once all the data has been collected, it is sent with a simple click to the referral hospital. The midwife unit
verifies the material and the tests, prepares a follow-up for each woman and maps the target population at risk, according to the expected date of birth and other indicators collected during prenatal visits (PANDA Medical Unit).
Health education is an integral part of the visits. Particular emphasis is placed on pregnancy, childbirth, postnatal care, family planning and contraception.
Activities:
– Equipment for the Gynaecology and Midwife San Damiencon Centre which includes two complete PANDA kits, two mobile phones, one router with a stabilizer to send and receive data, one computer with a PANDA Medical Unit database was installed
– One medical expert on a long term mission and one Head of Project on 3 short term missions
– 56 days of prenatal visits, 300 women included in the program as a result of the local team’s efforts (the team was supported by laboratory staff and administrators who were supervised by expatriate medics)
– Cervical cancer screenings carried out to prevent cervical cancer
– Screened 1041 patients of whom 281 women were HPV + (27%). 225 colonoscopies carried out
– Vulnerable cases identified (pregnancies at risk or cases of HPV+) and follow up with patients
PHASE II
WOMEN’S HEALTH IN THE AMBANJA REIGON: PANDA AND HPV PROGRAMMES
Objective: to improve and standardize prenatal screening for Madagascan women to create continuity to the PANDA/HPV programmes and creating an interdisciplinary local team who will promote education that will prevent illnesses and take care of women living in the Ambanja region.
The hospital group who is responsible for setting this up will be able to manage the PANDA and HPV protocols independently. At the end of 2016 this group will be able to autonomously plan the health activities and transfer Panda visits and HPV screening to the dispensary staff.
The committee will meet on a monthly basis to verify the activities carried out and review plans for activities in the pipeline.
