NEW DELHI:A US-based technology firm will promote access to healthcare among seven million Indians in rural areas over the next three years through mobile phone applications, the UN said on Thursday. In India, where up to 70 per cent of the rural population lacks access to basic health services, US-based technology firm Dimagi through CommCare will provide 70,000 community health workers in areas lacking basic medical care with patient information and the ability to monitor at-risk patients, the US said in a statement.
CommCare, a mobile phone-based application enables community health workers to provide better, more efficient care while also enabling better supervision and coordination of community health programmes.
"We developed CommCare to scale up the health impacts of community health programmes," said Dimagi CEO Jonathan Jackson.
"We've been working in this field for a long time, and haven't seen anything with the potential that CommCare has to scale up the effective delivery of life saving interventions."
Each health worker will have a phone running the CommCare software that will assist them in managing household visits and planning their day. CommCare will collect and report data that will help monitor and evaluate community health programmes themselves.
"The private sector is a strong partner in our collective drive to reduce poverty and achieve inclusive growth. Continued commitments and innovative partnerships are key," said Sigrid Kaag, assistant secretary-general and assistant administrator, UN Development Programme (UNDP).