Presentation at SISDAK (Salon International de la Santé et du Matériel Médical de Dakar) on July 4th, 2012

1. Mobiles and Health: Our Current
Initiatives in Senegal
Christelle Scharff, PhD
Soda Niang-Samb, Noumounthi Diao, Balla Diop Dieng
SenMobile
senmobile@senmobile.com
http://facebook.com/senmobile
@senmobile

2. Problems
• Scenario 1: Mamadou's child is having a high fever
and needs immediate medications but he does not
know which pharmacy is open late at night. How can
he find this information?
• Scenario 2: Assane does not sleep under a mosquito
net and his children don’t either. How can this change?
• Access to health information, access to health care,
health awareness, and prevention: these are common
words when talking about health in developing
countries.

3. Simple, local
and sustainable
solutions for
health

4. SMS Pharma de Garde
SMS Pharma de Garde provides
information on pharmacies that
are open on nights and weekends
by SMS
Premium service

5. How It Works
Location & Operation Hours
Date: 3/3/2012
Query: pharma dakar
Data about
locations and Server Users
operation hours
Pharmacies X, Y and Z
in Dakar are open from Answer: X, Y and Z are
8 am to 11 pm on open from 8 am to 11
Sunday 3/3/2012 pm on Sunday
3/3/2012
SMS Community
Different
means to
gather data

6. ;

7. Existing Solution and Future
 We launched SMS Pharma in Senegal in
June 2011 for users to know what
pharmacies are open on nights and
weekends
 We are covering 13 cities: Dakar
Centre1/Plateau1, Guediawaye,
Kaolack, Louga, Mbour, Pikine, Thiès,
Saly, St Louis, Tamba, Thiaroye,
Tivaouane, et Yeumbeul
 We have a community of 2600 members
on facebook
 Information is gathered and verified
 Our goal is also to expand to more types
of health facilities and propose other
services by SMS

8. JeggePharma
• A free Web app for compatible Nokia phones
(Series 40 Web apps) to know what
pharmacies are open on nights and weekends

9. Pharmacies on a Map
http://smspharmacie.com

10. Health and Children
 We developed a series of mobile apps for
children
Focus of the apps Apps are aligned with the
 Sound curriculum
 Icons / Images / Colors  Formes123
 Avoid text  Lettres123 Developed in
Java ME to
 Instant feedback and  Chiffres123 support a
assessment  EduCivic123 wide range
of phones
 Easy to use and good user  SuiteABC
experience  Suite123
 Makes learning fun  Coleurs123
 Local content (culture,  Sante123
language, curriculum)
 Link parent / teacher with
SMS

11. Sante123

12. Conclusions
 Simple steps in saving lives and improving health all together!
 We are reaching users who are using their phones in different ways: SMS
and apps
 SMS works on all mobile devices without the need of applications or
smartphones
 Apps requires some additional steps to be adopted (data access, phone literacy)
 SMS Pharma
 Users receive results instantaneously
 Users save time and money (i.e. no need to drive or take a taxi to find a pharmacy that is
open)
 Little learning curve of our solutions
 Many users already know how to send SMS
 The mobile applications are simple to use
 Service can be used to broadcasting other health information for prevention
(e.g. malaria awareness and anti-tobacco campaigns)
 This solution is scalable, sustainable and adaptable in different countries