What is the name of your organization?
T.T.Y.M Global (Talk To Your Midwife)
What is the name of your solution?
Market Antenatal service
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Providing essential antenatal service to pregnant women in underserved areas, leveraging technology and low-cost innovations
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Koforidua, Ghana
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Ghana
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
As a midwife with four years of experience, I have witnessed the heartbreaking reality of mothers losing their lives due to late interventions. Many pregnant women, especially market traders, simply cannot leave work for antenatal care (ANC), arriving at hospitals only when complications have escalated. In Ghana, 9 mothers die every day, with a maternal mortality rate of 308 per 100,000 live births. In the Eastern Region, where I serve, the rate is 103 per 100,000, making it one of the highest in the country. Globally, over 800 women die daily from preventable pregnancy-related causes (WHO, 2023). Limited access to early ANC is a major contributor, particularly in underserved communities, where only 53% of women complete the recommended ANC visits.
What is your solution?
We solve this problem by bringing point-of-care service directly to the marketplace, ensuring women receive checkups, education, lab tests, ultrasound scans, and risk assessments without leaving their businesses. This allows pregnant women, especially market traders, to access essential maternal healthcare where they are, rather than waiting until complications arise. We currently operate at the Agartha Market in Koforidua, the capital of Ghana’s Eastern Region, where maternal mortality remains a pressing issue. Our trained healthcare team conducts prenatal checkups, basic screenings for conditions like anemia, HIV, malaria, hypertension, and ultrasound scans to detect high-risk pregnancies early. Women needing further care are referred to hospitals for timely interventions. We also use a mobile app to track maternal health data, categorize women into high-risk and low-risk pregnancies, and send reminders for follow-up visits through phone calls and SMS. This digital system ensures that even in underserved communities, women remain connected to care throughout pregnancy. We make antenatal care more accessible, affordable, and effective. Our solution is community-driven and culturally relevant, addressing real barriers women face daily. We aim to reduce preventable maternal deaths and improve health outcomes for mothers and babies through innovation and compassion.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our target population is pregnant women in informal sectors, particularly market traders in low-income and underserved communities. These women work long hours in open-air markets, making it difficult to leave their businesses for essential antenatal care (ANC). For them, missing work means losing vital income, forcing them to prioritize survival over healthcare. As a result, many miss critical checkups, increasing their risk of complications such as anemia, infections, hypertension, and obstructed labor, all of which contribute to preventable maternal and neonatal deaths. Currently, healthcare services are inaccessible or inconvenient due to financial barriers, time constraints, and long distances to health facilities. Many only seek care when complications arise, often when it is too late. Our solution directly addresses these challenges by bringing ANC to them. Through our point-of-care services in marketplaces, women receive checkups, education, lab tests, ultrasound scans, and risk assessments without leaving their businesses. Our mobile app ensures they stay engaged in their maternal care by tracking health data, identifying high-risk pregnancies, and sending phone call reminders for follow-ups. With this approach, women no longer have to choose between their health and work, leading to safer pregnancies and a significant reduction in maternal and neonatal deaths.
