New Delhi: Union Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare, S P Singh Baghel and Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, virtually launched the Kilkari program, an m-health initiative for beneficiaries in local content in Gujarat and Maharashtra on 7th February. They also launched Mobile Academy, a free audio training course aimed at expanding and refreshing the knowledge of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and improving their communication skills via their mobile phones. Health Minister of Gujarat, Rushikesh Patel, was also present.
Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar expressed her elation at the launch, associating it with the rapid transformation of the health sector in the country in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a Digital Health India. She applauded healthcare professionals, especially frontline workers, for their contributions to the Kilkari Program, which aims to provide weekly services with timely, accurate, and pertinent 72 audio messages about reproductive maternal, neonatal, and child health care.
S P Singh Baghel spoke about the Government’s commitment to prioritizing public health infrastructure and strengthening citizen-centric health services through leveraging India’s expanding mobile phone penetration. He emphasized the importance of a healthy mother for delivering a healthy child and highlighted the Union Government’s efforts under the leadership of the Prime Minister to ensure the health and well-being of women. The Union Ministers appreciated the efforts of all stakeholders involved in the launch and welcomed suggestions to further strengthen the program.
Health Minister of Gujarat, Rushikesh Patel, thanked the Union Government for launching the two initiatives and highlighted the significant increase in institutional deliveries in Gujarat, leading to safer deliveries for both mothers and children.
Background:
The Kilkari program, meaning ‘a baby’s gurgle,’ actively delivers weekly, time-appropriate audio messages regarding pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare directly to families’ mobile phones from the second trimester of pregnancy until the child is one year old. Pregnant women and mothers with children under one year old, registered in the Reproductive Child Health (RCH) portal based on LMP or DoB, receive these messages via weekly calls. The messages, voiced by a fictitious doctor character named Dr. Anita, are integrated with the MoHFW’s centralized RCH portal, ensuring a cost-effective and efficient mHealth service with no additional investment from states or beneficiaries. The Mobile Academy offers free audio training to ASHAs, enhancing their knowledge and communication skills via mobile phones. Currently, Kilkari operates in 18 States/UTs, while the Mobile Academy is active in 17 States/UTs. Senior officials from various government bodies and implementing agencies also attended the event.