Alliance with Ericsson and Claro to Develop Health Communication Solutions in Nicaragua

Ericsson, Claro, and 4th Sector Health announce the alliance Innovations Lab for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Nicaragua, which will support Sustainable Sciences Institute’s (SSi) development of software and mobile phone applications to improve maternal and child health. The two-year partnership that began in March 2011 combines Ericsson’s extensive telecommunications solutions and equipment and Nicaragua’s largest mobile communications provider Claro, a subsidiary of América Móvil, with USAID funding. Mobile health (also called mhealth) applications will be piloted in Managua, Jinotega and Rio San Juan provinces where rural populations suffer from poor access to health facilities resulting in high rates of maternal mortality.

SSi will work closely with the the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health to implement a customized medical record software and birth registry, which will provide a census of high-risk pregnancies to help prioritize the distribution of health resources. Mobile health applications will support information collection and management needs to follow-up on prenatal and postnatal check-ups for pregnant women and their children. 

Ericsson and Claro will map mobile connection needs and ensure the pilot areas have the mobile and internet access necessary to carry out the project. After the activity is piloted, it will be assessed, which will provide critical knowledge for the Ministry of Health to scale up use of the tools throughout the country.  Claro and Ericsson are committed to further collaboration to expand these solutions.

The Nicaraguan government has successfully used mobile technologies for disease surveillance and, through this initiative, will build on its ehealth and mhealth knowledge to implement electronic medical record keeping. In addition to recording and tracking patient data, the new activity will provide rural health workers with tools to effectively manage and closely monitor patients. Mobile applications will help providers improve distribution of health system resources for critical cases, reducing complications that contribute to high rates of maternal and newborn illness and death.