The Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service has launched a new digital maternal health intervention, PROMPTS, also known as “Nurse Mary.”
The facility comes with a Regional Helpdesk Service aimed at improving maternal and newborn health outcomes across the region.
The platform, developed in partnership with Jacaranda Health and integrated into the Ghana Health Service, enables pregnant women and new mothers to receive personalized health information through two-way SMS on their mobile phones.
Mothers can also ask questions and receive timely responses from trained Ghana Health Service nurses and midwives.
Launching the initiative at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital in Accra, the Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Robert Amesiya said the intervention addresses persistent information gaps that contribute to maternal and newborn deaths despite ongoing efforts by health professionals.
‘‘By housing the Helpdesk within the GHS structure, we are ensuring that this service becomes a formal part of the maternal health referral pathway. It is not an external, “siloed” project but an integral part of our system.’’ He said.
The Regional Helpdesk, staffed by Ghana Health Service nurses and midwives, uses artificial intelligence to identify and prioritize urgent cases, while trained clinicians provide the final assessment and guidance, ensuring mothers receive appropriate care and referrals when needed.
Health officials say embedding the service within the Ghana Health Service makes it a sustainable part of the country’s maternal healthcare system rather than a standalone project. The platform also provides health managers with real-time data to monitor service delivery and improve the quality of care.
According to the Regional Director, the pilot phase has already enrolled thousands of mothers in Greater Accra, with positive feedback from both healthcare workers and clients. The intervention has helped reduce the workload of frontline nurses by providing mothers with evidence-based information before clinic visits, while also supporting referrals for mental health and other specialized services.
‘‘As we are all aware, maternal and neonatal mortality remains a critical challenge in Ghana (Ghana Health Service, 2022). While our dedicated healthcare workers strive to provide the best care possible, many expectant and new mothers face a persistent information gap.
The effectiveness of existing interventions is often limited by their generic nature and their inability to meet the unique, individual needs of Ghanaian mothers (Willcox et al., 2019).’’
The launch forms part of Ghana’s broader efforts to leverage digital health technologies to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and improve access to quality healthcare.
Health authorities are urging district health managers and frontline health workers to fully adopt the innovation to ensure every pregnant woman and new mother has access to timely information and lifesaving support.
By Sarah Apenkroh
