This past Friday, 27 September 2024, we reached another important milestone in the HealthyMaman project as we conducted our second workshop. The session focused on reviewing intermediate results, discussing how message content is being developed, and clarifying the next steps in the project. The workshop brought together medical staff, midwives, and several women who had already contributed during the conceptual phase of the project.
This time, we moved the workshop to our offices at the Institut des Sciences Humaines, instead of meeting at the Sangarebougou health centre as we had done before. That small change made a real difference. Participants appreciated the setting, and even with additional staff joining us, including the chief medical officer, health services continued without disruption.
Key outcomes and feedback
The feedback from the workshop was encouraging, especially regarding the proposed functionality of the prototype. The HealthyMaman system is being designed to help women attend their antenatal care appointments through reminders while also delivering useful health information throughout pregnancy.
Some of the key features discussed were:
- Appointment reminders for ANC visits.
- Health tips adapted to each stage of pregnancy.
- Support information for emergencies and health resources.
- Localisation, with messages delivered in local languages, currently Bambara.
These ideas were well received, and participants gave us practical suggestions to improve the content before the next phase.
Looking ahead
With this second workshop completed, we are now moving toward the end of the documentation phase of the feasibility study, which we expect to complete before the end of 2024. The objective is to have a fully functional prototype ready for pilot testing.
With additional support and funding, the ambition is to begin with a full pilot at the Sangarebougou health centre and then scale the project to the district level or even nationally.
Final thoughts
I want to sincerely thank everyone involved: the team, the midwives, the health workers, and our funders. Their support is helping turn this project into something concrete for maternal health in Mali.
More updates will follow.