July 16, 2024
Spirit Health Foundation and Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (a USAID contractor implementing The ASPIRE Project) have partnered to support the Ministry of Health to deliver innovative maternal health services in underserved communities in Eswatini, using Community Health Volunteers and the Clinitouch platform to protect and save the lives of mothers and their babies.
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) is already working with the Ministry of Health with USAID support in Eswatini, and has made significant progress in preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV with >98% of mothers now on Antiretroviral therapy (ART). Spirit Health Foundation will now join this partnership to amplify work to address unacceptably high maternal, newborn and under-5 child deaths – starting in Hhohho and Shiselweni regions.
It goes without saying – any maternal, neonatal or child death is one too many. The maternal mortality rate is currently 452 deaths per 100,000 against the UN Sustainable Development Goal of 70 or less, or compared with 13 per 100,000 in high income countries. Neonatal mortality is also unacceptably high, 20 deaths per 1,000 births against the UN Sustainable Development Goal of 12 or less. Too many mothers and their newborns aren’t getting the required eight Antenatal Care (ANC) and four Postnatal Care (PNC) contacts due to the walking distance to facilities, lack of health workers and inadequate care in the community.
Spirit Health Foundation’s in-kind funding of unlimited Clinitouch licenses and a range of solution design, clinical, technical, and capacity building services will enable the smarter maternal, newborn and child health systems needed to overcome these barriers. Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) will be equipped with Clinitouch on one simple, offline app on smart phones to register pregnancies for the first facility check-up, provide health promotion, and deliver Antenatal and Postnatal Care monitoring through clinical questionnaires and supporting tools – all in mothers’ households or at easy-to-access community locations. Designed by leading doctors and using smart algorithms, Clinitouch generates a risk score based on the data, which midwives, nurses or specialists can remotely monitor at facilities and take early action to address risks, prevent pregnancy complications and ultimately save the lives of mothers and their babies. This could be prompt treatment at a facility, lifestyle changes or referrals to specialists. In urgent cases, the CHVs are also instructed to refer mothers themselves during their monitoring sessions. The first phase of the partnership will focus on maternal and newborn health, with the next phase then shifting to under-5 child health monitoring, leveraging the same digital community health system approach to protect under-5s through referrals for immunisations, testing and malnutrition support.
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) is a proven leader in the global fight to end HIV and AIDS, and an advocate for every child to live a full and healthy life into adulthood. EGPAF began supporting the Kingdom of Eswatini in 2003 in the provision of PMTCT and later, comprehensive quality HIV and TB prevention, care and treatment services. Over the years, EGPAF has implemented various projects in Eswatini with funding from different donors but mainly from USAID. In 2021, EGPAF was awarded a USAID contract – The ASPIRE Project – that is currently being implemented in Hhohho and Shiselweni Regions across 78 health facilities. The ASPIRE Project aims to contribute to the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini’s goal to attain and sustain 95-95-95, prevent new infections, and reach all populations for epidemic control of HIV. Strengthening comprehensive maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services is a priority for EGPAF across reproductive health services, prenatal care, labor and delivery, and early childhood care.
Spirit Health Foundation is the independent non-profit foundation for Spirit Health Group (a key UK NHS partner and international organisation in over 20 countries). Its purpose is to make it simple for underserved communities to get the healthcare they need (in particular mothers, babies, and children), with a focus on countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Foundation provides unlimited licenses for the world class Clinitouch platform, plus a range of health system services as millions of in-kind funding, and works with in-country partners to build simpler, smarter health systems that improve, save and protect lives.
Rich Bryson, CEO of Spirit Health Foundation comments…
“So many mothers and babies aren’t making it as they just can’t get the right antenatal and postnatal care. They don’t know their risks or understand their symptoms, and they don’t have the trained health workers where they live. By equipping facility staff and community health volunteers with Clinitouch, we can ensure they get the right care at the right time, helping protect and save lives. Maternal, newborn and child health is a priority for us across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and we’re passionate about making a difference with great partners like EGPAF.”
Chris Makwindi, Acting Country Director, EGPAF Eswatini adds
“This is a timely intervention coming to strengthen the Community Health Program through automation, task shifting, and digitization of current tools. Automation will help to streamline processes, reducing administrative burdens and freeing up valuable time for the health care workers. Task shifting will enable nurses to delegate certain tasks to community health workers, allowing them to focus on more complex cases. At the same time, the Community Health Workers will conduct vital signs and basic tests that will inform the urgency and frequency of facility visits for women receiving antenatal and postnatal care. Finally, digitization of current tools will provide real-time data, facilitating better decision-making and targeted interventions. Overall, these measures will contribute to a more robust and efficient health system, ultimately leading to improved healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.”
This new partnership is already in development, with the goal of launching the maternal and newborn health service pilot service towards the end of 2024 – look out for further updates through the year.
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