from TSOANELO MOKHAHLANE in Maseru, Lesotho
Lesotho Bureau
MASERU, (CAJ News) – LESOTHO is making the most of technology to improve maternal and newborn health.
With the assistance of the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is rolling out the m-mama platform, a mobile application for emergency referral to ensure timely pregnancy and childbirth care in communities.
It is an emergency transport service that connects mothers and newborns to life-saving health care.
This is part of the Ministry of Health’s Digital Health strategy (2025‒2030).
The target is to fully integrate the m-mama into national digital health frameworks and strengthen governance and ownership of the initiative.
Initially, the platform was launched in 2020 in partnership with the Vodafone Foundation but was acquired by the government in January 2025.
Since its inception, m-mama has handled over 8 800 maternal emergencies and almost 650 neonatal emergencies.
Officials said results from the pilot in selected districts had shown a 50 percent reduction in response time to these emergencies.
Dr Innocent Nuwagira, WHO representative in Lesotho , said the agency was supporting the Ministry of Health in bolstering its health systems through viable digital health strategies that support innovations like m-mama.
“Together, we are building a future where access to emergency healthcare is not a privilege, but a right for all people in Lesotho,” Nuwagira said.
According to the latest WHO estimates, the maternal mortality rate in Lesotho has dropped by almost 10 percent between 2020 and 2023, from 529 to 478 per 100 000 live births, with an estimated 267 maternal deaths in 2023.
This is above the average maternal mortality rate for Sub-Saharan Africa, of 454 per 100 000 live births.
“We have seen a good reduction in maternal mortality rates, which is in no small part attributable to this life-saving initiative,” Minister of Health, Selibe Mochoboroane, said in Maseru.
– CAJ News