GPS tracker to aid war on maternal deaths among nomads

Systems and technologies that respond to the health needs of different populations are crucial to achieving equitable access to universal healthcare.

Dahabo Adi Galgalo, a trained medical laboratory technologist-cum-epidemiologist from Marsabit County, alongside engineering experts, is, therefore, coming up with a prototype GPS tracker.

The hybrid GPS tracker is expected to help healthcare workers reach far-flung populations to give and improve maternal and infant health in northern Kenya.

“Having been born in the nomadic communities, I dream of developing people-centred solutions that can positively transform healthcare delivery through building tech-enabled healthcare that can consequently drive sustained impacts," Ms Galgalo said during a phone interview with Nation.Africa.

She revealed plans to revamp her time-honoured innovation that took the world by storm in 2017. Ms Galgalo disclosed that a team of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineers were currently done with the first phase of the modernisation of her GPS tracker and had achieved 60 per cent completion; the second phase is ongoing and will lead to the final third phase.

She is also working with Amref (Innovate for Life) to instal her GPS tracker with a ‘Save Our Souls’ component that will allow it to function optimally in achieving favourable outcomes in the war on maternal and infant deaths.

Ms Galgalo registered with Kenya Medical Laboratory Technology and Technician Board after graduating with a Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science at the Kenya Medical Training College, Nakuru. She later joined Kenya Methodist University where she graduated with a degree in medical laboratory science in 2014.

Also read: Kenyan innovators get grants to tackle health issues

She then joined Moi University, through thef Kenya Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (K-FELTP), where she graduated with a Master of Science in Field Epidemiology in 2019 through the support of the CDC programme.

Ms Galgalo is pursuing a PhD in Public Health (Reproductive Health) at the University of Pécs in Hungary, courtesy of her innovation. She is upbeat that the upgraded version of the GSP tracker will revolutionise the healthcare, security, agriculture, and livestock sectors as soon as it is launched.

The lifesaving SOS GPS Tracker will be a real-time location tracking 4G device fitted with an emergency button. The GPS will also allow the health workers to set up several Geofence areas on their mobile apps to help them receive alerts when the expectant mothers move within and without the Geo-fenced regions for easy monitoring.

The device enables a health worker to monitor the expectant mothers’ location anytime and anywhere. After receiving the signal from the GPS device, the satellite relays back the holder's position via a web-based application through SMS.

The SOS and emergency buttons in the GPS tracker activate a touch away from reaching out to the caregivers who are even able to call for Ambulance evacuation services if need be.The device has been designed to be durable, splash resistant, eco-friendly, and worn around the wrist by the mothers for convenience.

She is optimistic that upon its inauguration, it could also be adopted in tracking people with other medical conditions such as memory loss, Alzheimer, Autism, Parkinson, and Dementia, Covid-19 contacts and TB defaulters.

Additionally, the device will go a long way in tracking immunisation defaulters and boost immunisation uptakes among mobile pastoralists. She also looks forward to convincing security agencies to adopt the gadget to help combat cattle rustling or even ethnic conflicts in the hotspots in northern Kenya.

Her idea was conceptualised in 2017 when she was a resident at K-FELTP, during her routine epidemiological research in Moyale that established that nearly 80 per cent of pastoralists in the area were not attending prenatal and antenatal visits.

Later she came up with the idea to use a GPS device that is fitted onto the cultural jewelry on the wrists of expectant mothers and relays signals to satellites in space. Serving as the Moyale Sub-county Level 5 Hospital laboratory coordinator, she was able to collect and access critical data.

Antenatal care

During her study, of the 1,042 mothers who delivered during the one year, 116 lost their babies during delivery. Of these, 40 per cent had never visited an antenatal care clinic.Those who visited often travelled 50-80 kilometres.

Due to the remoteness of their villages, they failed to get laboratory profiling and diagnosis during prenatal, antenatal, and postnatal care.

Several outreach campaigns were immediately mounted after she had shared her concerns with the sub-county health management and other stakeholders who also agreed that there was an urgent need for action.

During their outreach programmes, she noted that at least 80 per cent of pastoralist mothers did not pay at least eight visits to health facilities as prescribed by the WHO.

This, in return, enables healthcare workers to pinpoint the gadget holder within or without cellular network coverage. It tracks them wherever they are, to ensure they do not skip their clinic appointments. The gadget has facilitated enhanced location and monitoring of women’s pregnancies and health-seeking behaviour, making a huge impact on maternal care, and combating infant mortality.

It has reduced maternal mortality, increased immunisation coverage, antenatal visits, skilled deliveries, and early screening of other medical conditions. The invention of lifesaving technology has directly saved at least 237 mothers and indirectly benefitted at least over 5,000 nomadic communities.

Her quest for a longstanding solution to the rampant maternal and infant mortalities in the region was also when she lost two babies to miscarriages.

 Ms Galgalo is an acclaimed innovator who won a grant from the Grand Challenge Africa 2017 funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She was one of the best six winners in Africa awarded Sh10 million in 2017.

She also won Innovate for Life Challenge in 2020 by Amref, and the Kenya National Innovate award under the medical technology category in 2020 by Kenya National Innovation Agency, which saw her receive Sh800,000.

Additionally, she was awarded Health Innovation Award by Marsabit First Lady, and she is a Fellow of the Centre for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovation (CASMI). Marsabit is among the pastoralist counties, which have been marked for the notoriety of maternal and infant mortalities of up to four times the global estimates.

High infant mortality rate

The World Health Organisation says infant and maternal mortality rates are unacceptably high across the globe. These deaths are caused by complications mothers experience during and after birth, including haemorrhaging, infection, and eclampsia.

While infant and maternal mortality rates occur more in developing nations, it is an issue that affects women worldwide. The northern Kenya region's maternal deaths are about 860 annually, largely due to low access to health services, prevalent illiteracy, retrogressive cultural practices and beliefs, remoteness, and vastness of the region.

The implementation of the first phase of the device between 2017 and 2020 saw massive milestones with antenatal visits increasing from 30 to 70 per cent. The beneficiaries were from 10 sites, including Qilta, Laqi, El-raya, Teso, Erwedhe, Funandimo, Yaballo Goda, Chiracha, Qalaliwe, and Antut areas in Moyale sub-county.

Odda location, for instance, witnessed an increase in antenatal care from 50 clients in 2017, to 272 clients in 2018. Averagely, the Track and Save services increased ANC visits from 16 to 80 per cent between 2017 and 2020.

The GPS tracker has continued to gain traction and popularity and several organisations are already requesting to adopt it once it is fully upgraded.

Ms Galgalo has disclosed that despite there being no active programmes ongoing, she plans to strengthen her Track & Save a Life CBO registered in 2018 and turn it into an NGO to serve the region upon her return from Europe.

And after visiting several health facilities during her stay in Europe, she has been convinced that technology is the way to go even for African countries.

“Rejection shouldn’t be something you should take to heart and whenever you make something your top priority, you should never listen to the naysayers,” Ms Galgalo added.

She recounted how she had to wax up her ears several times after sharing her ideas with some colleagues who only turned out to be naysayers.

She has commended other health workers who had great impacts on the county such as Qaballe Duba and Dhahabo Abagaro and appealed to others to emulate them.

Moyale Sub-County Superintendent Ibrahim Kontoma praised the innovation for increasing healthcare services accessibility in far-flung areas. He added that the device has helped solve the home and transport delays of patients to health facilities.

During a ceremony in Moyale town in November 2021, Kenya National Innovation Agency (KNIA) CEO Tonny Omwansa commended Ms Galgallo’s efforts. "This a big challenge to other professionals to remember home and make sure their achievements also benefit their communities,” Dr Omwansa said.

He called on other professionals to give back to society when they develop groundbreaking and lifesaving innovations as Ms Galgallo did.

The KNIA boss promised to ask the government to adopt the device so that it is cascaded to  address other health challenges like TB.

[email protected]