[Sigiii-l] ICT for Improving Family Health Outcomes in Bihar, India

[Atanu Garai]

Dear Colleagues,

Population Council recently organized a consultative meeting on information
and communication technology for improving family health outcomes in Patna
(Bihar, India) on 16 December 2010, in collaboration with Abt Associates,
Inc. The links to media report and key findings in an online presentation
are given below.

Regards,
Atanu Garai
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Plea for mobile usage to improve reproductive health
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Plea-for-mobile-usage-to-impro
ve-reproductive-health/articleshow/7114807.cms
PATNA: Increasing mobile density across Bihar can be of big help in reaching
proper medicare to even the rural areas and improving reproductive health,
specially infant, maternal and neonatal death rates in the state. "Mobiles
can be used effectively to ensure proper government supervision as well as
to guide health workers on how to attend to the medical needs of expectant
mothers and newborn babies," said Population Council's M E Khan at a
consultative meeting on `Information communication technology for improving
family health outcomes in Bihar' here on Thursday. Bihar contributes the
largest number of newborn baby and child deaths in the country, Khan said
and attributed the poor scenario to dismal performance of family planning
measures. According to him, if 70 to 80% children are breast- fed within an
hour of birth, deaths occurring within 28 days of birth could be reduced by
at least 18%. He prescribed a two-year gap between first delivery and next
pregnancy to prevent maternal and infant mortality.

Presentations: Ganesan, R., A. Garai (2010). Use of information and
communications technology in behavior change communication. New Delhi:
Global Maternal Health Conference 2010, Aug 30 - Sept 1, 2010, India Habitat
Centre, New Delhi, India. Online:
http://maternalhealthtaskforce.org/gmhc2010/index.php/conference/Presentatio
n/3._Ramakrishnan_Ganesan_.pdf  [Presentation].
Link from
http://maternalhealthtaskforce.org/gmhc2010/index.php/conference/theme/theme
/theme_of/21 (Session 7 :  Using behavior change communications as an
intervention to achieving MDGs 4 and 5)