Healthcare through mobile phones

Last updated:

14 July 2017

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Malawi is the world’s poorest country as measured by GDP per capita, according to the World Bank.1 Its stark poverty means that access to maternal, child and infant healthcare is difficult to obtain and its maternal and infant mortality rate is one of the highest in Africa. This problem is compounded by the lack of health care facilities and trained medical staff in the country.

Olivia and her home near the Dandora dumpsite, Nairobi. Photo: Abbie Trayler-Smith / Panos Pictures for Concern Worldwide.

Chipatala Cha Pa Foni (CCPF), or Health Center by Phone, was originally developed and implemented in Malawi by the international NGO Concern Worldwide, in partnership with
VillageReach as part of the Innovations for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health initiative. VillageReach has since expanded CCPF in scale and scope. CCPF consists of a hotline that provides health information and advice to pregnant women and caretakers of young children. Through a recent merger with Airtel Malawi, a leading mobile network operator (MNO) in the country, and their Dial-a-Doc program, which triages calls to doctors, CCPF will extend its reach to include all health issues.

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Published: 1 January 1970

This publication covers aid activities implemented with the financial assistance of several donors, including the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the United Nations Foundation (UNF) and the World Health Organization Department of Reproductive Health and Research (WHO/RHR). The ideas, opinions and comments herein are entirely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent or reflect the policies of any donors.