Use of technology to create awareness about solutions to simple problems that kill 800 expectant mothers a day
The United Nations has launched a “Zero Mothers Die” campaign to reduce maternal mortality. As part of the campaign, a pink mobile costing $30 will be made available to expecting mothers in developing countries. It will contain health advice and emergency numbers related to pregnancy and new born care.
The phone will be pink in colour and will have a digital training programme on child health.
The campaign was launched last week at the Global Sustainable Development Foundation meeting where the phone has been named as Mum's Phone.
Each year 190 million women become pregnant. About 300,000 women die every year from complications related to childbirth, roughly 800 a day, according to the campaign coordinators.
In 2013, 289,000 women die due to pregnancy and childbirth related complications. Nearly 99 per cent of these deaths occurred in developing nations.
Primary causes of maternal deaths include blood clots, abortion complications, severe bleeding, obstructed labour, high blood pressure, and infections. These deaths could have been prevented through well-known healthcare solutions. The health advice in phone gives suggestions to overcome these simple, yet fatal, problems.
The campaigners say that the reason for using mobile phones is that nearly 96 per cent of the world's population is connected through them.
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