My Choice mobile Application

Universal access to comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health information and services especially by the youth is very key to attaining their full potential. Unfortunately, regardless of efforts put in traditional outreaches, there is still a very big gap in attaining this universal access globally, a condition that is even worse in developing countries.

According to 2017 WHO estimates, 214 million women of reproductive age in developing regions had unmet need for contraception. As of 2019, Adolescents aged 15-19 years in Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) had an estimated 21 million pregnancy each, of which 50% were unintended. 55% of unintended pregnancies end in abortions, often unsafe. 97% of all abortions take place in developing countries. Adolescent mothers are also at a higher risk of obstetric complications.

According to the 2022 Uganda Demographic Health Survey, 47% of sexually active unmarried women aged 15-49 currently use any method of family planning, and only 43% use any modern method.

Most of the times, sexually active young people, especially those out of school and those in tertiary institutions in Uganda find it hard to access basic SRHR information and services, which have detrimental effect to their overall wellbeing. Some of the reasons as outline by WHO and locally include limited access to services, limited choice of methods, fear or experience of side effects, cultural and religious opposition, poor quality of available services, stigma and discrimination, cost of services and gender-based barriers.

Our solution tends to address this by promoting universal access to reliable SRHR information and services, with a special focus to young people especially girls, through using of digital mobile technology

My Choice is a mobile application designed to enable universal access to SRH information and services. It is fully populated with SRH information that is provided in a simple language that can be understood by a non-medical person using the App. This information is to be regularly reviewed and updated to fit the modern and current trends.

Information provided covers overview about different modern contraceptive methods, side effects and what to expect. It has an automated medical eligibility criterion adopted from WHO, where the user just answers a few questions and the App makes suggestions of the best options, to enable user make a choice. It also provides information about safe abortion and self-care, HIV/ AIDS, gender-based violence as well as new trends and updates on SRH

In the service section, the app contains a list of SRH service delivery points, clinics, medical centers, pharmacies and individuals providing different SRH services including counselling services country wide. The service providers recommendations are automatically provided basing on the user’s location, and service needed. Service providers contact details are provided, and the user can book an appointment through a link that is connected to the WhatsApp account of the service provider.

For HIV positive clients, The App provides automated reminders about time for taking drugs.

The App provides automated reminders about refills for short term contraception, new service providers in users location and automated daily SRH facts. There is also support available in the App, where you can directly consult the My choice team, which includes counsellors, nurses and medical doctors to handle any medical concerns online.

The App is to be used by everyone in Uganda and beyond, who has access to a smart phone. However, special focus is put on the youth, especially those still studying, and those outside school who need access to SRH information and service. These still face a challenge of access to this vital information as well as services. Most of them fear the stigma that’s usually experienced when seeking SRH services, especially by the young people.

This App will address the knowledge gap by explaining the medical information in a simple, easy to understand nonmedical language. It will also enable access to SRH services. The service providers and delivery points have been selected and vetted to ensure they provide quality care, free of stigma, judgment and discrimination.

We have diverse team of 20 individuals, with diverse experience in SRH. Team members are located in different parts of the country. 10 members of the team are university students each from one university (Total of 10 universities). These interact with their peers, understand them, they have been involved in SRH related activities  and they will work to promote use of my choice Application by the students in their universities.

Other team members are medical and non-medical qualified practitioners working in different parts of the country, and directly work with the youth in their operations. The team lead has for the past 5 years worked in the field of sexual and reproductive health, and has impacted a number of communities across the country. He has worked on a number of projects with different organizations in Uganda, and it’s from this interaction with the community that he derived the solution. All We also have two software engineers who are to ensure that the App is well designed to provide a good experience for the users.

The App has been designed and populated with relevant information, for testing purposes. This includes Capturing users details, information about different SRHR components, Eligibility criteria for contraception section for services and providers details among others.

Its being tested among the team leaders, and not yet available or ready to be used by members of the community.

For centuries, physical interaction between patient and health worker has been the cornerstone of health care. However in an era where access certain services, especially SRH services is a challenge, especially to the young people, there is a need to innovate ways of making this access easier, without actually eliminating the patient to health worker physical interface. This calls for ways of having vetted, qualified and professional service providers, who have been identified across the country and made easily accessible to those in need of the SRH services. 

Most of the new technologies utilize AI to solve the existing problems. However, My choice App is structured and programmed to use technology to reinforce access to quality service providers and services, maintaining the traditional and golden consultation mechanisms.

My choice also provides SRH in a simplified language that can be understood by anyone, as long as assisting the client in making their choices basing on the eligibility criteria.

Next Year:

Goals

To have a fully functional mobile Application available for download from Google play store and App store.

To have the information translated into multiple local languages.

To obtain data protection certification in order to safeguard the information provided by our users.

To have the relevant stake holders like the ministry of health, and ministry science and ICT approve the application for public use.

To conduct a pilot and fully  enroll service provider, as well as sensitize the public especially young people about the application and how it can be used.

Strategies

The Software team designing the Application is committed to have the work completed in the shortest time possible, while fully populated as necessary.

We're trying to mobilize for resources, by lobbying from organizations working in the field of SRH to facilitate the costs to be of software designing among others.

We intend to put out adverts for service providers, who would wish to be enrolled on our platform. These shall apply using a link that will be shared with them online, and we shall interview them to asses their competency and professionalism, as well as supervising their facilities for accreditation

We shall fully engage the stake holders including relevant ministries and data protection unit to monitor our operations so as to safe guard our clients.

Five Years.

We intend to have my choice widely known and fully utilized by everyone, especially young people.

We intend to note a significant increase in access to safe, quality and affordable SRH services regardless of the location as well as the information

we intend to notice decrease in SRH related medical complications.

We hope to have my choice integrated in the ministry of health recommended service delivery models to serve the community.

Strategies

Massive community sensitization

Recording and sharing of success stories

Routine monitoring and evaluation of the service provision team

Engaging the relevant authorities on every step of the operations.

The application will act as a direct link between users and services providers, to enable easy access to the SRH information and services.

By the end of 2022, over 11.7 million ugandans were using smart phones. This value is even higher in 2023 where most of the young people are now using smart phones. Therefore a mobile application that links the public direct to service provider, will not only ensure quality, but also increased access to SRH services

Twenty people, all work full time

Three months

We dont discriminate in anyway. We work with and respect the rights of everyone one, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, color, tribe, religion or any kind of disability.

Every member of them team has equal opportunity to represent the team at any forum, and we intend to serve the entire population without any form of stigma or discriminations

We work to enable universal access to affordable SRH services.

We therefore don't charge any fee from the clients/ users of the App seeking information and services.

However, a service provider might charge a small fee from the client depending on the nature of service they intend to get. Service providers will be required to provide a list of services an their prices that can be accessed by the client prior to the appointment. We shall also regulate the costs per service, to keep them as minimal and affordable as possible.

The goal is to enable access to services which are as affordable as possible.

This will address the barriers that make this access hard, especially by young people.

We shall have all new service providers pay a small  one time off membership fee that will be kept as minimal as possible. 

We shall also enable Ads to run in our app as a source of revenue. These Adverts will however be regulated not to be become annoying and a disturbance to the users of the application. Only health related adverts will be allowed to run in our App.

Incase any organisation wants to collaborate with us, they will pay a membership fee and annual subscription that will be agreed upon.

This is to ensure sustainability of the Application.

We also intend to keep lobbying from national and international organizations and well wishers to support in the scaling up of the solution.