Accessing emergency obstetric care poses significant challenges in Ghana, where infrastructure and transportation issues delay critical medical treatment for pregnant women. A newly launched AI-driven dashboard aims to improve access by estimating travel times to facilities, thereby supporting effective resource allocation and informed decision-making for maternal health policies. The initiative builds on Ghana’s commitment to innovate healthcare delivery.
Accessing emergency obstetric care is a critical issue faced by many women globally, particularly in urban areas where conditions can be challenging due to traffic, inadequate infrastructure, and transportation limitations. These delays in medical care contribute to alarming statistics, including one maternal death every two minutes globally, with a majority occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2023, a new dashboard was unveiled to enhance access to emergency obstetric care in Ghana. This tool, created in partnership with the OnTIME Consortium, employs AI-driven traffic predictions similar to those used in Google Maps to estimate travel times to the nearest emergency facilities. It aims to assist decision-makers in identifying and addressing gaps in access to care.
Ghana has made notable strides in reducing maternal mortality rates and is now poised to further these efforts with this dashboard. The introduction of this tool aligns with the country’s commitment to innovate and improve health outcomes for mothers.
The dashboard has already proven beneficial in Nigeria, where it has aided organizations like Emergency Resources Africa in reallocating resources effectively. By pinpointing areas with prolonged travel times, first responders can be positioned more strategically.
As Dr. Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas from the OnTIME Consortium explained, this tool grants policymakers and service planners a clearer understanding of the challenges pregnant women face in Greater Accra. Enhanced visibility into these issues allows for better risk prioritization and enables the design of more focused interventions.
This initiative builds on Google Research Africa’s broader commitment to harness technology for community empowerment and address local challenges. Their ongoing projects address food security, language barriers, and weather forecasting, showcasing a robust portfolio of social impact initiatives.
The collaboration in Ghana represents a pivotal step toward utilizing technology in enhancing emergency obstetric care access. The goal is to leverage these innovations to save the lives of mothers and newborns both in Ghana and across Africa in the future.
The introduction of an AI-driven dashboard in Ghana aims to significantly improve access to emergency obstetric care by estimating travel times to facilities. This innovative tool, developed with the OnTIME Consortium, enhances decision-making and resource allocation for maternal healthcare, thereby addressing a critical issue in maternal mortality. By building on ongoing technological initiatives, stakeholders hope to bolster efforts to protect the lives of mothers and newborns, not only in Ghana but also in the wider African context.
Original Source: blog.google
