VSee, working with Stanford and Ateneo de Zamboanga Universities, has lately launched Challenge MAMA (Mother’s AI for Maternity Assist) — a pilot program that goals to cut back maternal mortality charges in underserved, distant areas of the Philippines. Utilizing VSee’s safe, customizable digital well being constructing blocks and AI applied sciences, this system offers entry to maternal care physicians to detect issues early on and cut back dangers of issues and loss of life.
The Majority of Maternal Deaths Can Be Prevented
The World Well being Group (WHO) asserts that maternal mortality charges are unacceptably excessive, with roughly 287,000 girls dying from being pregnant and childbirth-related issues in 2020—most from preventable causes like postpartum hemorrhage, infections, and hypertensive issues (WHO, 2023). Tragically, 92% of those deaths happen in low-resource areas, particularly in distant and remoted areas the place girls typically lack entry to expert obstetric care. VSee goals to vary that with Challenge Mama, bridging the hole for girls in underserved communities by means of AI telehealth and distant obstetric help.
How Can Digital Well being Shut Care Entry Gaps in Distant Locations
In lots of components of Zamboanga, Philippines pregnant girls full their pregnancies with out ever seeing a specialist. Clinics depend on paper data, lack diagnostic instruments, and haven’t any constant entry to medical consultants. Well being staff do their greatest, however with out early detection instruments, routine dangers can escalate into life-threatening issues—for each mom and youngster.
Challenge MAMA is a four-month analysis initiative testing how digital instruments can shut that hole. Piloted within the municipality of Ipil, in Zamboanga Sibugay, it brings collectively VSee, Stanford College, and Ateneo de Zamboanga to ship earlier, smarter prenatal care to distant mountain areas of the Philippines. The venture equips barangay clinics with digital instruments for distant consultations, being pregnant monitoring, and maternal well being training—reaching moms who would in any other case go with out routine checkups.
Presently, it’s working in Barangay Timalang, Barangay Tiayon, and Barangay Maasin—areas categorised as Geographically Remoted and Deprived Areas (GIDAs). Most examine members don’t personal a cell phone as a result of these mountain areas don’t obtain any cell reception. The venture depends on Barangay Well being Staff (BHW) assigned to completely different areas to bodily make bulletins and remind members of their prenatal appointments.
Telehealth, AI, and Digital Care Instruments for Wherever Care
With Challenge MAMA, barangay clinics now use VSee’s Digital Medical File (EMR) system to take care of a digital registry of pregnant sufferers, changing paper data and making it straightforward to entry and share affected person well being data no matter location. The distant physicians from Ateneo de Zamboanga assessment affected person data at every digital go to, monitoring for potential dangers and guiding early interventions.
Native midwives use VSee’s AI-powered chatbot educated by Stanford OB-GYN medical doctors to ask scientific questions (or to assist moms ask their questions) and to obtain real-time responses. This may be finished in both English or their native Bisaya language. Stanford specialists commonly assessment AI solutions for accuracy.
VSee Telemedicine Equipment and Ready Room
Ob-gyns and maternal care specialists conduct digital consultations with educated barangay midwives utilizing VSee telemedicine kits. The equipment is supplied with ultrasound, ECG, digital stethoscope, pulse oximeter and different diagnostic scopes. For a lot of moms that is the primary time they’ve ever had an ultrasound! The browser-based VSee Clinic Ready Room additionally permits importing instructional posters and movies, so sufferers can find out about prenatal care, secure supply, and new child well being whereas ready for his or her distant physicians—serving to to enhance well being literacy in the neighborhood.
VSee Quick Customizations and Deployment
VSee (with Starlink for broadband) powers the complete system. Most healthcare platforms require months of setup, developer enter, or paid companies for primary updates. VSee’s versatile digital well being constructing blocks allowed the venture to launch rapidly in simply two to 4 days. Utilizing the pre-configured distant medic workflow (additionally utilized in different VSee telehealth missions) as the bottom, VSee was then capable of custom-configure the consumption course of for specialised prenatal OB-GYN visits in two days.
All distant specialists and native midwives had been additionally educated and prepared inside two days. They accomplished VSee walkthrough coaching with check calls in about an hour. Native midwives underwent extra intensive 1-on-1 coaching with the OB sonologist to study to correctly use the ultrasound and different scopes. The VSee workforce additionally offers technical help in case of any software program and connection points — so suppliers can concentrate on simply the sufferers.
Three weeks into the pilot, the venture is working steadily. Most collaborating moms have accomplished their second of 4 prenatal checkups. AI danger screening, digital consults, and training instruments are lively and in use. Whereas scientific outcomes are nonetheless being tracked, utilization has been constant. The following section will measure effectiveness and concentrate on long-term care continuity and search for extra methods to leverage the AI part.
Keep tuned for extra Challenge Mama updates!
