An innovative mobile health application, Nighedaasht, which has helped expand access to vital maternal and neonatal health services in remote areas of Pakistan, has won a prestigious award at the Commonwealth Digital Health Awards 2018 (CDHA).
Nighedaasht won the top prize in the Maternal and Neonatal Health category. Judges commended the application’s innovative use of SMS technology to synchronise data about healthcare services received by pregnant women and new mothers in rural areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. Nighedaasht was up against eight other finalists from Asia, Africa and Europe in the category.
The annual CDHA awards recognise the best digital health innovations in the 53 Commonwealth countries, which are raising the standard of healthcare and wellbeing. The award means that Nighedaast will be showcased to health ministers from around the Commonwealth during meetings at next year’s World Health Assembly in Geneva where policymakers will review emerging healthcare challenges and discuss which innovations can be scaled up.
“Gaps in health service delivery for expecting mothers and newborns are especially concerning in hard-to-reach areas,” said Saleem Sayani, Director of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Digital Health Resource Centre. “Applications like Nighedaasht play a key role in ensuring that pregnant women and new mothers receive antenatal and postnatal care whenever and wherever they need it.”
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