Phones-for-Health leverages the existing mobile phone
infrastructure so partner countries can extend the reach of
their health information networks to remote areas. Mobile phones
use software to relay patient data to a central computer system,
allowing health workers and policymakers to instantly access the
data. The system allows health workers in the field to use a
standard Motorola handset equipped with a downloadable
application, as well as PCs and PDAs, to enter health data. Once
entered, the data is transferred via a packet based mobile
connection (GPRS) into a central database. If GPRS isn’t
available, the software can use a SMS data channel to transmit
the information. The data is then mapped and analyzed by the
system, and is immediately available to health authorities at
multiple levels via the web. The system also supports SMS
alerting and other tools for communication with field staff.
Health workers will also be able to use the system to order
medicine, send alerts, download treatment guidelines,