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Recognition for reaching the most vulnerable populations in Burkina Faso

 

An IDRC supported project was recognized for its efforts to improve health service provision and the monitoring of pregnant women, new mothers, children, and people living with HIV in Burkina Faso’s Nouna district. Dr Maurice Yé of the Centre de recherche en santé de Nouna, an IDRC partner, accepted the prize from the Fondation Pierre Fabre at the organization’s inauguration of the e-health observatory for countries in the South

In the rural district of Nouna in Burkina Faso, regular access to health services is crucial for pregnant women and people living with HIV. However, reaching these populations can pose a major public health challenge and it is often these vulnerable groups who receive little follow-up. The Mos@n project, funded by IDRC and implemented by the Centre de recherche en santé de Nouna, leverages the widespread use of mobile phones to monitor patients and their use of healthcare services in 26 villages. The project combines a strong emphasis on community participation and a focus on equity with developing a local language-based mobile health system. Other context-specific innovations in the project involve the use of solar panels to charge mobile phones.

The Mos@n project is part of a larger initiative funded by IDRC called SEARCH (Strengthening equity through applied research capacity building in eHealth), with projects in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon, Peru, and Vietnam. Final results from the project will be available in 2017.

Watch videos from the Fondation Pierre Fabre presentation ceremony