On the launch of innovative model of information and communication technology (ICTs) based mobile phone, or known as SMS gateway to overcome barriers in reducing maternal mortality, infant and child health in Sumedang district on Thursday, 28-2015, hosted by Perkumpulan Inisiatif Bandung. One of health sector authorities ask the question” What distinguishes the sms gateway technology on Bunda TexTalk with the similiar technology on health sector that have been developed in several region in Indonesia? and how far that technology were effective to reduce maternal and infant mortality?
The question was important and make sense. As most of the government or non-gorvernment organization who working in the information and communication technology has many conceived and developed, but another question are how effective that technology to provide benefit to the target group (especially pregnant women or a mother). So, what makes the Bunda TexTalk technology differs from other mobile phone technology?
Budi Supriatna dan Dani Nurjaman from Perkumpulan Inisiatif was confirmed “The SMS gateway technology is relatively similiar with another ICTs model based mobile phone, but should be underlined that the SMS gateway technology is not the only indicator to reduce maternal and infant mortality. But we can assure that the existences of Bunda Textalk is the effective way as a communication channels to increase the knowledge of pregnant women and family members within”.
Why Bunda TexTalk can be effective? its because Bunda Textalk adapting capital and social relation that already applied among the villages-community, its means mobilize the existing resources such as voluntasy health workers (VHWs), and other local stakeholder at village level, including the family members of the pregnant women. In short, the technology of SMS gateway was managed independently by represented of community members such as VHWs and village midwife who more known about their neighborhood, expecially know about each women who get pregnant with their family members, that the reason why Bunda TexTalk convinced to become an effective communication channels.
Elis Lala Karmila as a midwife in Citali villages, Pamulihan sub-district as a pilot project of Bunda Textalk said that “ the technology is very helpful, she reported that during less than a month after the technology is running, a number of pregnant women were increasing significantly, while this system also make easier to monitor the pregnant women condition, which mean the system can help midwife task to detected the risk more early about the pregnant women condition. And more, this system also can help midwife in taking action or decision to give refferals if something happen for mother who will getting birth”.
Based on the explanation and testimony above, a greater appreciation also delivered by Agnia.RS and Emay.K, as the Head of MNHC division and Health Promotion of Health Departement at Sumedang district. They hopes the model of Bunda TexTalk technology can be integrated with the plan of health data and information system that being drafted by Health Departement as part of Roadmap of Bureacratic Reform agenda on the health sector in Sumedang. Not only that, Dida Jubaedah as represent of Communication and Telecomunication Agency in Sumedang District, its also deliver a great appreciation, and will support the programs in health sector broadly, especially on maternal and child issues.
Means that the probability of model transition of Bunda TexTAlk to be transfered to the health authorities or accross authorities in Sumedang, given a large chance to improve the quality of health service and to inspiring others villages to applied the technology around the Sumedang area.
One from three main feature of Bunda TexTalk is strengthening community and resource mobilization as the key element on how the system can run properly in village level. The system management rely on social capital and relation among people who live in village level. Through intervention and approach that shown by Bunda TexTAlk, hopely can able to answer the barrier of SMS gateway management that mostly faced by the government in health sector.
As the proverb “ A new power source is not money in the grip of some people, but the information and knowledge in the hands of many people”. The Bunda TexTalk which initiated by Perkumpulan Inisiatif and HIVOS under the network of South East Technology and Tranparentcy Initiative (SEATTI) hope can encourage a new inspiration for other regions