Maternal Care

Accessible care for all mothers.

Comment

Inspiration

Maternal healthcare is a critical aspect of healthcare especially in remote areas. I was inspired by the challenges mothers in remote areas face trying to get basic healthcare and medical assistance so as to avoid untimely miscarriages and infant mortality. My goal is to create a simple yet accesible platform that allows mothers to gain access to healthcare services from their mobile phone without the need of internet connectivity.

What it does

Maternal Care is a USSD application that offers a wide range of services, including:Scheduling appointments with doctors or midwives, Tracking vaccinations for babies and providing SMS reminders, Providing emergency contacts for hospitals and healthcare professionals in case of emergencies. To use the application, the user dials the provided number on their phone and chooses the services they need.

How we built it

I built the app using python with the Flask framework for the backend and integrated Africa's talking API for USSD and SMS functionalities. For the database, I used SQLAlchemy to track users' appointments and vaccine schedules. The project is deployed on render cloud services and can be viewed on the africastalking sandbox.

Challenges we ran into

The challenge I ran into was simplifying the mothers' needs into three main services. I wanted the app to be as simple as possible but still cater to every mother needs.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I am proud of building a simple yet functional system that will give many mothers in remote areas access to maternal healthcare. The ability to send SMS reminders for baby vaccinations is a vital feature that will improve infant healthcare.

What we learned

I have learned how to build USSD applications that also include SMS notifications. I have also gained insights on the importance of user experience for mobile based services, especially for remote areas.

What's next for Maternal Care

Local languages: Incorporating local languages in the application so as to cater to as many users as possible. Adding more Locations: Increasing the database of hospitals available in every remote area. Health Tips: Adding healthtips for mothers for each stage of pregrancy and postpartum.

Built With

Share this project:

Updates