DHAKA, March 22, 2024 (BSS) - Bangladesh’s health sector has witnessed huge progress over the years as the present government has initiated a number of steps including establishment of community clinics in rural areas to reach healthcare services to the doorsteps of the people.
 
‘Aponjon’ is such a mobile e-health service project undertaken for expecting and lactating mothers. Running by Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) the project has gained enormous popularity at grassroots level.
 
Aponjon service is available in the form of text and voice through all mobile phone. A number of new services will also be coming under the umbrella of Aponjon.
Aponjon service was launched in September, 2011 in four districts with about 1500 subscribers on a pilot basis and went for nationwide operation in August, 2012.
 
Expectant and new mothers are the primary subscribers of the service while husbands, mothers, mothers-in-law and other relatives are secondary subscribers.
 
Once registered, the primary subscribers receive two messages and their family members receive one message a week.
 
For making the Aponjon apps customize, a subscriber need to give last menstrual period (LMP) date or expected delivery date (EDD) or date of birth of baby.
 
From sixth week of pregnancy a mother can receive the service for a maximum period of 89 weeks. A service receiver can be unsubscribed any time. However, she can listen to the previous messages repeatedly at any time.
 
With the service, a pregnant woman and her family can get instant health services over mobile phone by dialing ‘16227’. They can connect with specialist physicians also in case of any special situation.
 
Sources said the e-health service is one of the most effective steps of the present government on the pathway to country’s digitalization. Bangladesh is the lone country in the South Asia to introduce the service first.
 
Officials said around nine crore people use mobile phones across the country while the number of active mobile SIMS are around 15 crore.
 
‘Aponjon’ is a project adopted under public-private partnership (PPP) initiative with an aim to utilize the mobile phone technology for healthcare services.
 
 Private organization ‘D-net Bangladesh’ is implementing the project with the financial assistant of different international NGOs including USAID and assistance of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Access to Information (A2I) project of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
 
Rizwana Rashid Ani, former chief coordinator of Aponjon said the project began to reduce mother and child mortality rate to achieve Millennium Sustainable Goals (MDGs).
 
“But the benefit of the project in health sector was enormous,” he said adding that a large number of people from all over the country are taking the services, Ani said.
 
Health specialist Dr Naznin Akther said, awareness and proper delivery of information can protect around 80 percent death during pregnancy and birth.
 
Many people in rural areas don’t know the right information on how to take care of a mother and her new born baby. Through Aponjon they can get the necessary healthcare services required for reducing mother and child mortality rate.
 
Piash Islam, Marketing and Communication Executive of Aponjon, said, “We began our journey as a project…But now, we are giving the health service round-the-clock as a limited company.”
 
Mother can buy a prepaid package of mobile phone or buy a three-month package at Taka 55, six-month package at Taka 100 and one-year long package at Taka 200, he said adding they have a plan to provide health service to the mother through video calling in future.