Apps close gaps in maternal and mental healthcare

Kisumu Health Executive Gregory Ganda during the launch of the MamaCare and Kisumu Mental Wellness applications. [Rodgers Otiso, Standard]

A pregnant woman experiencing worrying symptoms at home may not know whether she needs urgent medical attention, while a mother struggling with postnatal depression may suffer silently without knowing where to seek help.

In Kisumu County, two new digital health applications are seeking to bridge this gap by bringing pregnancy information, health screening and referrals closer to households.

The MamaCare and Kisumu Mental Wellness applications, officially launched by Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, are designed to help mothers monitor their pregnancies and children’s immunisation, screen for selected health conditions and connect users requiring medical attention with healthcare professionals.

MamaCare provides pregnancy guidance, reminders, information on a baby’s development and immunisation, as well as links to nearby health services. The mental wellness application offers initial screening for possible depression symptoms and pathways to professional support.

The initiative is part of the county’s efforts to extend healthcare beyond hospitals and health centres to households, where early identification of health risks could help residents seek assistance before conditions worsen.

However, the applications are not intended to replace medical consultations, emergency care or healthcare professionals. Their effectiveness will depend on ease of use and the ability of health facilities to respond promptly to referrals.

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Speaking during the launch, Nyong’o said digitising health facilities was only part of the county’s journey towards improving access to healthcare.

“Healthcare is not simply about building hospitals, purchasing equipment or employing health workers. It is about ensuring that every person receives the right care, at the right time, supported by the right information,” he said.

He noted that all public health facilities and mission hospitals in Kisumu had been digitised, with the county’s health information infrastructure hosted at the Kisumu County Health Data Centre.

“Today, we take the next step: moving digital health closer to the people it is meant to serve,” he said.

The applications were developed through a partnership between the county’s Department of Health and Wonder OOG, a digital skills training institution whose graduates were challenged to develop practical solutions to local problems.

John Bosco, representing Wonder OOG, said the organisation began working in Kenya in February 2024, with Kisumu among its implementation areas.

The applications are available for free on Google Play Store. Bosco said they were intended to reduce unnecessary visits to health facilities while ensuring those requiring medical attention were referred appropriately.

“Rather than mothers coming to the facility, we are taking the facility to the mother with this app so that she can access it and ensure that we provide better care at the community level and at the facility level,” he said.

The organisation hopes to expand to other parts of Kenya and across Africa.

Bosco said about 48,000 mothers had been registered on the Wonder application in Kenya since 2024, with approximately 18,000 alerts issued to mothers whose conditions required attention. About 500 cases had received critical-care support.

He said the technology would give mothers greater control over their health information and strengthen links with community health workers. Its AI-supported guidance is restricted, with medical decisions left to qualified experts.

The launch builds on the Kisumu County Wellness Programme, introduced in October 2025 to promote healthy living, prevent disease and identify health risks early. The county has established 35 ward-based wellness centres, where Community Health Promoters also conduct household screenings and identify residents requiring further medical assessment.

Previously, health promoters recorded household data through the Electronic Community Health Information System, while wellness centres relied largely on manual registers.

Dr Joram Abiero, head of the Division of Primary Health Care, said the new application would allow residents to undertake selected screenings at home while enabling health workers to capture information electronically.

He said 6,825 people had been screened since the programme began, with 1,100 at high risk of hypertension and 620 at high risk of mental illness.

However, Governor Nyong’o cited different figures in his prepared speech, reporting 6,897 people screened, including 1,150 at high risk of hypertension and 620 at high risk of mental illness. He added that 699 people had been screened for diabetes, with 182 at high risk.

The application assesses users’ responses to questions about possible symptoms and recommends referrals to health facilities where necessary.

Dr Tom Nyangwara, a consultant psychiatrist working with Kisumu County, said the mental wellness application uses the Patient Health Questionnaire to screen for symptoms associated with depression.

He stressed that screening results were not medical diagnoses, but could help identify people requiring professional support.

Nyong’o said stigma and limited awareness often prevented people from seeking mental health support.

County Executive Committee Member for Health Dr Gregory Ganda said the applications would help overcome barriers such as distance and limited time, bringing pregnancy information and health support closer to households.