Voxiva is developing a mobile phone application that will make it much easier for health authorities and governments to track and manage the spread of HIV/AIDS, Avian Flu and other diseases.
The project is jointly funded by the GSM Association's Development Fund and MTN, the largest mobile operator in Rwanda. Voxiva is a global provider of information solutions designed to strengthen health care systems, support emergency response, and improve government service delivery in the emerging markets.
Core of the new software is the facility for health workers in the field to submit critical data to central health authorities in real-time. Using their handsets, they can report on outbreaks of disease, drug inventory levels, patient treatment status and other key health information - directly into Voxiva's Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) and thereby allowing health officials to view, analyse and respond to vital data immediately. The system also supports two-way communications, allowing those same field-based health workers to receive quicker feedback on laboratory results, treatment guidelines or possible quarantine requirements.
Rwanda Pilot
The GSMA and Voxiva are running pilot projects in Rwanda , which has a high incidence of HIV/AIDS, and in Indonesia where Avian Flu is a major threat. For GSMA CEO Rob Conway: "The efforts of the international health community to control pandemics, by getting life-saving drugs to those in need, depend heavily on a comprehensive and accurate picture of what is happening on the ground. When a disease is spreading rapidly, health authorities need information that is bang-up-to-date. Mobile networks, which are now widespread in the developing world, are the best and most immediate way to get them that vital data."
Supported by MTN, Voxiva and the GSMA Development Fund have completed testing of the software in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. The tests, conducted in collaboration with the Rwanda National Institute of Statistics (NISR), used the software to capture information on health infrastructure normally collected on paper forms. "This technology is revolutionising how data is captured in the field," believes Dr Louis Munyakazi, Director General of NISR.
Following on from the pilot, the GSMA and Voxiva are planning to work with MTN and other operators to roll-out the mobile phone solution across Rwanda and other African countries in need. These countries include Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africa.
Java based programming
Written in the Java programming language, so it can run on a wide range of mobile phones and devices, the new software will enable health workers to input information about patients, their symptoms and medication into their phone, which will then transfer the data via a packet-based mobile connection (GPRS) into a central database. If GPRS is not available, the software can use a SMS data channel to transmit the information. The health workers will also be able to use the software to order medicine, send alerts, download treatment guidelines, training materials and other appropriate information.
"In the developing world, cell-phones are more prevalent than fixed-line phones with over a million new subscribers being registered every day," says Paul Meyer, Chairman and President of Voxiva. "Leveraging this existing and growing infrastructure, this new technology turns a cell phone into a mini-computer which, in combination with Voxiva's HMIS solutions, allows governments in the developing world to tackle problems in a more efficient and cost-effective way."
2nd Pilot Indonesia
A pilot project in Indonesia, which will use the handset software to help track the spread of Avian Flu, is scheduled to begin in the next few days. Supported once again by the GSMA, Voxiva is working with USAID, Winrock International, Microsoft and the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, to integrate the handset software into an existing Voxiva surveillance system.
Voxiva's HMIS is a suite of health solutions that allow health agencies and providers to collect, analyse and respond to critical information. It includes Voxiva Healthwatch, a disease surveillance solution, Voxiva HealthNet, a health programme management solution for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and Voxiva CareNet, a patient-monitoring solution for managing patients with chronic conditions. For every handset sold under the GSMA's Emerging Market Handset programme, handset supplier Motorola and the mobile phone operators participating in the programme together contribute US$0.50 to the GSMA's Development Fund.
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