An AI-driven mobile app is helping Nigerian mothers keep on top of their babies’ immunisation schedules
HelpMum, a social enterprise, is helping Nigerian mothers close the immunisation gap with the help of a mobile app, an AI engine, and a few naira for bus fare.
- 14 April 2023
- 5 min read
- by Zubaida Baba Ibrahim
When Oluwafunmi, 39, of Ibadan in Oyo state, had her first child, she planned to take him to the nearest primary health care centre for all his routine vaccine shots. But sometimes she would find that the vaccine her baby was slated to receive was out of stock.
"Sometimes I will have to find another health centre," Oluwafunmi says. The alternative clinic was typically further away from her home, which, she says, was a hurdle to staying up-to-date with her son's immunisation schedule.
"When a mother does not have money, you could call, call, call, and send reminders but she won't be able to take her child for immunisation."
– Dr Abiodun Aderini, HelpMum founder
When she delivered her second child, however, the health workers in her hospital of delivery took down her details, and soon she began to receive reminders of her baby's upcoming vaccination dates on her mobile phone.
Credit: HelpMum Instagram
Nigeria's vaccination rates lag behind its goals, with just 56% of children receiving their third dose of the basic diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis-containing vaccine in 2021, according to WHO and UNICEF data. In August 2022, the National Immunisation Coverage Survey (NICS) revealed that only 36% of children aged between 12 and 23 months qualified as fully vaccinated.
The survey dug into reasons why children had not been fully vaccinated, and found that in 11% of cases, mothers and caretakers were "too busy". Twenty-four of cases of underimmunisation were linked more broadly to "lack of time or other family issues". A surprising 30% of caretakers were under the mistaken impression that their incompletely immunised child was fully vaccinated, and 51% of the time, underimmunisation was connected to a "lack of knowledge or information".
That's where HelpMum decided to step in. A social enterprise, HelpMum built a vaccination tracker to help Nigerian mothers stay on top of their babies' immunisation schedules. Its purpose is "to assist mothers to navigate pregnancy, childbirth and to reduce infanty mortality," says Dr Abiodun Adereni, HelpMum founder.
The organisation has been harnessing the power of technology and low-cost innovation since 2017, he explains. The Vaccination Tracker App, available for download on smartphones, is one such innovation.
When downloaded, it allows mothers to register with their name, phone number, and home address, and asks them to specify their hospital of delivery. There is also an opportunity to fill in a child's previous vaccinations.
After registration, the app displays a dashboard that shows users their next vaccine due date and the vaccine's details.
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Lack of digital literacy amongst Nigerian women in rural communities is, of course, a barrier. So HelpMum has provided primary healthcare workers with smart tablets, says Dr Adereni, "so they [health workers] can go into these rural communities to register mothers".
Mothers who don't have smartphones, or aren't comfortable navigating the app, can be included via a simple workaround."When they register the mothers, we see their details in the backend and make sure they present their children for immunisation. We call them or send them a text .That is what we do in terms of ensuring mothers don't miss the immunisation of their children," says Dr Adereni.
UNICEF data shows that the completion of routine immunisation is three times more likely among children from rich households in Nigeria, than in poorer families.
"Children from the wealthiest 20% of households are 16 times more likely to be fully immunised than children from the poorest 20% of households," the report reads.
Poverty is also a major barrier in Dr Adereni's experience. Even when mothers are registered and notified by the HelpMum app, the cost of transport to the nearest primary health centre can constitute a major stumbling block.
"When a mother does not have money, you could call, call, call, and send reminders but she won't be able to take her child for immunisation."
This realisation made the organisation introduce the HelpMum Adviser, an artificial intelligence (AI) analytics engine on barriers to vaccination. Dr Adereni explains how it works.
"Essentially, it [the AI framework] can read data and information from the app and identify the bottlenecks of why a mother may not take her child for immunisations. It also advises us on interventions that will provide these mothers with choices to take their child for immunisation."
Credit: Zubaida B Ibrahim
With the aid of the Adviser, the organisation is able to make travel vouchers or bus pick-ups available to mothers who need them.
With the introduction of the AI adviser, the organisation has been able to drastically improve immunisation outcomes. "Before, with the tracker alone, we only had like 45% but with adviser there is a 72–73% outcome," Adereni notes.
Oluwafumni is a beneficiary of the HelpMum travel voucher. "They send money to me that I should use to go and collect vaccine for my baby," she explains.
She said that the amount varied from time to time. "They have sent 1,000 naira [$1.3] or 500 naira to me." She adds that this sum was enough for a return trip.
Although HelpMum's operations are focused in Oyo State, Dr Adereni says there are plans on the way to make it a nationwide intervention. Meantime, he clarifies, the app can be downloaded and used for its notification and information feature in any part of the country.
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