icegov2012 proceedings

ICT-enabled Delivery of Maternal Health Services
ABSTRACT
Fresh opportunities are being created daily for the deployment of
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) [42]
particularly in the area of poverty alleviation and sustainable
economic growth in developing countries in particular. Therefore,
the adoption of mobile telephones as service and information
delivery tools and platform is expected to foster partnership and
efficiency in improving health through dissemination of health
information and data and supporting communication and
collaboration within the entire health sector.
This paper examines the integration of a sectoral policy and
strategy in the area of health and national ICT Policy in the
developmental context. Specifically, it investigates if a mobiletelephony
based e-Health strategy has proven sustainable,
stimulated acceptance of mobile phone-based health information
or awareness of stakeholders on the benefits of mobile phonebased
health information and services, thus accelerating the pace
of reduction in maternal mortality in Ghana. The analysis
presented in the paper is based on secondary material collected
from government website and data directly obtained from
policymakers and users involved in the initiative.
Categories and Subject Descriptors
Computers and Society, General
General Terms
Human Factors, Public Policy
Keywords
Mobile Phones, ICT4D, e-Governance, Development, Maternal
Mortality, Ghana
1. INTRODUCTION
Nine years ago, the UN General Assembly endorsed the World
Smmit on the Information Society, held in two phases, in Geneva
003 and Tunis 2005. In particular, it encouraged governments, as
part of their implementation of the Tunis Agenda for the
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ICEGOV '12, October 22 - 25 2012, Albany, NY, United States, NY, USA
Copyright 2012 ACM 978-1-4503-1200-4/12/10…$15.00.
Johanna E. Awotwi
Centre for e-Governance
P.O. Box MP 270
Mamprobi- Accra, GHANA
+233 (0) 243 408 047
jeawotwi@ghanaceg.org
369
Information Society, to establish before 2010, “ comprehensive,
forward –looking and sustainable national e-strategies, including
ICT strategies and sectoral e-strategies, as integral parts of
national development plans and poverty reduction strategies.”
Responding to this call, most countries have met the WSIS target
of developing national e-strategies by 2010. At least 84% of all
economies have a national e-strategy in place, and at least 14
economies are in the process of developing such a strategy [33].
Ghana met the WSIS target for developing national e-strategies
with, two policies which are driving ICT developments – ICT for
Accelerated Development Policy (ICT4AD) and National
Telecom Policy (NTP). The ICT4AD Policy has the overall
objective of supporting an ICT-led socio-economic development
process aimed at transforming Ghana into a middle income,
information-rich, and knowledge-based society [24]. On the other
hand, says the policy, the goal of the NTP is to establish market
structures that will be most beneficial to Ghana’s citizens and
businesses, and to set in motion the procedures and incentives that
will boost the market’s development.
Efforts have been made to implement some of the strategies
enunciated in these two policy documents [20]. One such
important e-strategy is the Health Sector ICT Policy and Strategy,
2005 which underlining vision is to significantly enhance and
improve all areas of health delivery. The strategy is specifically,
meant to provide quality primary healthcare services that are
affordable, sustainable and meet the needs of patients, by
overcoming geographical barriers through ICTs [24]. For a lowincome
country such as Ghana, the policy is welfare –oriented.
It is instructive to note that ICT4AD Policy (2003) is currently
under review after a review forum in May 2011. New thematic
areas are being added to the policy including cyber security,
climate control and green ICTs, Broadband Strategy and
Geospatial policies [50].
The main objective of this paper is to lay emphasis on integration
of a sectoral policy and strategy on health in the developmental
context; and to investigate if a mobile–telephony based
intervention has proven sustainable, stimulated acceptance or been
able to create awareness on benefits of mobile health information
and services and the consequent impact on maternal mortality and
governance in Ghana. The availability of up-to-date and accurate
information, created and disseminated by ICTs, has decisive
impact on peoples’ lives and on the socioeconomic development
of a country as a whole says [53]. Further, “countries that have
created an enabling environment are experiencing revolutionary
effects especially in the governance, education, health and
business sectors, as its citizens are now more empowered, can
change the equilibrium of power and start creating choices and
opportunities for themselves.” “Yet,” it continued, ‘there are