5 Apps/Platforms Bridging the Gender Gap in Healthcare Access
In today's fast-paced world, where everything seems to be at our fingertips, it's easy to assume that access to healthcare is a given. After all, shouldn't everyone have the right to quality medical treatment when they need it most? Unfortunately, the reality is far from ideal, especially when it comes to the gender gap in healthcare access.
Imagine this story - struggling to make ends meet, Maria is a single mother who lives in an impoverished region. The health of Maria's children frequently takes priority over her own as a result of her restricted financial resources and inadequate insurance coverage. Though Maria has been having stomach aches for a while, she is afraid of the price of going to the doctor. Unique cultural traditions which require women's duties as carers, putting their families' well-being ahead of their own, are the root cause of this unwillingness to put her own health needs first.
However, Maria still faces further difficulties. Due to her remote location and lack of healthcare facilities, Maria has more challenges getting access to necessary medical care. Further, due to long travel distances and transportation constraints, she finds it challenging to get to required prenatal care visits or gynaecological tests.
Unfortunately, Maria's story is all too common. Across the globe, women like Maria grapple with economic challenges, cultural norms, and geographical barriers that impede their access to essential healthcare services. But amidst these challenges, there is hope.
Digital technology is reshaping people's lives and professions, presenting both opportunities and means, especially for women. The integration of digital technology into healthcare is evident through wearable tech, personalised telemedicine, and other telehealth solutions. Digital healthcare offers benefits like improved access, quality, diagnosis, training, and prevention.
However, Diigital platforms often perpetuate power imbalances between men and women. Most online spaces favour male-centric perspectives which is a result of underrepresentation of women, especially at higher levels, in technology development teams, leading to adverse effects on the design, data representation, and overall experience for female users.
Recent innovations in the digital era are transforming healthcare and providing a ray of hope for bridging the gender gap in access to important medical treatments. Mobile applications and telehealth platforms have become highly effective tools that support inclusion, respond to the health requirements of people of all genders, and offer health information. Let's explore five innovative mobile applications and telehealth solutions that are revolutionizing women's access to healthcare:
Call4Svasth
Call4Svasth (C4S) is a revolutionary telehealth model incubated by Swasti and tailored to address India's healthcare gaps, particularly benefiting marginalized communities. With a community-led approach and a focus on accessibility, C4S ensures last-mile delivery of primary healthcare, including mental health support and social protection services. Its "Phygital model" combines on-site community surveillance by Community Health Workers (CHWs) with online professional assistance, bridging the digital divide. C4S leverages minimal technology requirements, such as basic mobile handsets, making it accessible to all, including women in marginalized communities. By prioritizing women's health concerns and providing tailored primary healthcare services, C4S emerges as a transformative innovation promoting gender equity and improving health outcomes for those who need it the most.
Read more here! - https://call4svasthswasti.in/
PregBuddy
The ideal pregnancy companion was created to assist pregnant women at every stage of their journey. This smartphone software, developed by PregBuddy Technologies Pvt. Ltd., offers personalised healthcare via peer support, organised information, expert access for nutrition, fitness and emotional advice, in addition to affordable access to essential products and services. Through its ability to link users with other expectant mothers, PregBuddy promotes a feeling of community by allowing them to exchange stories and ask for guidance. The app, which is supported by medical experts, gives women the knowledge they need to make educated decisions about pregnancy by providing evidence-based articles, advice, and resources on a range of issues. PregBuddy is a source of empowerment, a dependable advisor, and a helpful tool for women who don't want to do it alone throughout their pregnancy experience.
Read more - https://www.9apps.com/android-apps/PregBuddy-Pregnancy-and-Health/
Maya
This app has quickly established itself as the ideal guide for Indian women exploring reproductive health. With many features designed to help women easily understand and control their menstrual cycles, ovulation, and fertility, Maya was created with great care and accuracy by Plackal Tech. Maya's simple interface makes it possible for users to precisely track their cycles, estimate when they will ovulate, and get individualised information about their reproductive health. Maya stands out for its dedication to diversity, assisting individuals with a range of menstruation experiences, including irregular periods and diseases such as PCOS. Apart from its monitoring features, Maya is a great resource centre that offers instructional materials on anything from reproductive awareness to menstrual hygiene. Women may connect, exchange stories, and ask for assistance through Maya's community function, which promotes a sense of empowerment and solidarity. Maya's commitment to security and privacy guarantees the protection of user data, inspiring confidence in its steadily expanding user base.
Read more - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.plackal.lovecyclesfree&hl=en&gl=US
FLO Period & Ovulation Tracker
Flo Health, Inc. created the revolutionary app FLO Period & Ovulation Tracker, which is at the forefront of women's health technology with a feature-rich suite to empower women everywhere. FLO offers a smooth and user-friendly interface that makes tracking menstrual cycles, anticipating ovulation, and comprehending fertility trends easy for users. Using state-of-the-art artificial intelligence algorithms that adjust to the individual cycles of each person to provide very precise forecasts and insights is what distinguishes FLO. FLO empowers women to make knowledgeable decisions about their bodies by providing a plethora of educational materials on subjects like menstrual wellness, hormonal health, and fertility awareness, in addition to its monitoring capabilities.
Read more - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.iggymedia.periodtracker&hl=en_IN&gl=US
SHEROES
SHEROES provides a safe refuge and supportive network for women in India, serving as a beacon of empowerment in the digital sphere. It offers a forum for women to interact, exchange stories, look for advice, and support one another. Through delicate talks on mental health and personal well-being to debates on entrepreneurship and job progress, SHEROES cultivates a sense of sisterhood and solidarity among its members. Its all-encompassing strategy for empowering women goes beyond online interactions by providing chances for professional networking, skill development, and mentoring. SHEROES, with its constant commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, keeps redefining the story of women's positions in society and enabling them to break through glass ceilings, embrace their talents, and follow their interests.
Read more - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=appliedlife.pvtltd.SHEROES&hl=en&gl=US
Technological advancements provide women like Maria a glimpse of hope even if the gender gap in healthcare access remains a major hurdle. Let's continue to welcome these advancements and strive towards a time where healthcare is accessible to all people, especially the most vulnerable.
Author - Taitreyi Biswas
Editors - Kamalkoli Majumdar & Siddharth Chaitanya
