How Indian Health-Care Workers Use WhatsApp to Save Pregnant Women

February 3, 2023

(MIT Technology Review) – Terdale is one of many ASHAs across the country who are turning to WhatsApp as a means to combat medical misinformation and navigate sensitive medical situations, particularly regarding pregnancy. Even though ASHAs weren’t trained to do this, are paid very little, and are at the mercy of India’s poor health-care infrastructure, the approach has had surprisingly good results. In 2006, India’s maternal mortality rate was 254 deaths per 100,000 live births, one of the highest in the world. By 2020, ASHAs had helped slash the maternal mortality rate by over 60%, to 96 per 100,000 live births. This is particularly significant, because for a rural population of 833 million, India only has 763 functioning district hospitals, with just under 27,000 doctors. (Read More)