MTN firm moves to tackle maternal, infant mortality

Disturbed by the rising mother and child deaths in Nigeria, leading telecommunications giant, MTN, has unveiled a service, MTN Audrey Care, to improve maternal and child health as well as nutrition behaviour nationwide.

Launched in collaboration with Audrey Pack Company and supported by the GSM Association (GSMA), the initiative provides expectant and nursing mothers with useful information on diet, exercise, supplementation, exclusive breastfeeding, immunisation, child growth among others.

Besides, the innovation insures mothers, especially the pregnant ones, by providing cover for free ultrasound scans, premature deliveries and related issues. Also, every woman on the platform gets a load of maternal and newborn healthcare products such as diapers, baby cream, soaps, disinfectants and ancillary accessories from reputable brands.

The Chief Enterprise Business Officer, MTN Nigeria, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, who spoke on the product, noted: “We are very excited to be part of this noble initiative, especially as child and maternal health is Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations to transform our world.

“We also believe that technology should be employed in impactful ways that make a difference in the lives of a people. With MTN Audrey Care, we are keen about using technology to make a difference.”

To the Chief Executive Officer of Audrey Pack Company, Lilian Odim, the novelty was in tune with the mission of her organisation hence it wholly bought into the idea geared at reducing drastically maternal and infant fatalities nationwide.

The global body, GSMA, threw its backing, as it had for years sanctioned launch of m-health projects in African countries and currently reaches a million of people with nutrition content in these nations.