Digital health innovation is designed to save time, improve accuracy and efficiency, and integrate technology in novel ways for healthcare services. Technological innovation is transforming the healthcare sector unexpectedly, offering new opportunities to enhance health outcomes, increase efficiency, and reduce costs.

PH-Tanzania, in close collaboration with TIBA SALAMA DIGITAL HEALTH APP, introduces “The Tiba Salama Digital Health App,” a dual-faceted digital health access initiative. This initiative identifies, collects, records, stores, and tracks information about maternal mothers and their newborns for health facility-based referrals, maternity care, and treatment services in Tanzania, through the Tiba Salama Digital Health App.

How the Application Works:

The “Afya Mama na Mtoto Digital Health App Initiative” empowers Community Health Workers (CHWs), health attendants, health services practitioners, and community youth volunteers from local settings. They are trained in basic health service delivery, pregnancy identification, digital health, data recording and tracking management, maternal and newborn healthcare management and referral services management. These individuals play a crucial role in designing, identifying, analyzing, recording, tracking, and managing the Web-Based Monitoring System (WBMS) and referral services for pregnant mothers and newborns aged 0-5 years to health facility-based maternal care and treatment services.

The Web-Based Monitoring System (WBMS) is a digital health services delivery monitoring platform. It is a shared password platform with CHWs, health services practitioners, and community youth volunteers. The WBMS identifies, records, tracks, and stores information on maternal mothers and their newborns, represented by Green, Blue, Yellow, and Red Light buttons on the web portal. The lights indicate pregnancy registration and progress, with Red Light buttons used for emergency responses.

The PH-Tanzania and Tiba Salama Digital Health App team, in collaboration with health facilities, connects and communicates with CHWs, develops referrals, and provides travel logistics for expecting mothers and newborns to health facility-based services. The platform allows authorized users to respond to emergency calls. In the 3rd trimester and during childbirth, the Tiba Salama Digital Health App team, along with health facility designates, ensures constant communication, follow-ups, referrals, and logistics for pregnant mothers and newborns to access health facility services for delivery, care, and treatment. This process remains consistent for the newborn until the age of 5.