SSHSPH Assistant Professor Awarded US$2million Grant From The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Can a mobile application support and boost maternal and child health care in rural communities?

This is the aim of a three-year project led by Assistant Professor Siyan Yi from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health under a US$2million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

With support from the University of Health Sciences and the National Maternal and Child Health Centre, Phnom Penh, and other local partners in Cambodia, Siyan’s team will test, implement and evaluate the applicability and efficacy of a mobile and web-based health application in supporting health centre staff and community health volunteers across rural communities in Cambodia.

The mobile and web-based application will facilitate the registration of pregnancies and deliveries, boost access to antenatal and postnatal care services among pregnant women and children under the age of five, and update/store relevant maternal and child healthcare information across five provinces in Cambodia.

“The grant will allow us to study the applicability and effectiveness of mobile technologies in improving the maternal and child health services in resource-limited settings. Through this study, we hope for further collaboration to explore the use of technological solutions to address global health challenges in Southeast Asia,” said Assistant Professor Siyan Yi.