Why is it in the news?

• The Health Ministry has launched the Mobile Health Service ‘Kilkari’ and Mobile Academy in Maharashtra and Gujarat to enhance healthcare services and empower frontline health workers.

About Kilkari Program

• The term “Kilkari” translates to “a baby’s gurgle,” signifying the innocence and vitality of infants.
• Its primary aim is to enhance families’ understanding and adoption of essential preventive health practices, particularly concerning pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.
• The Kilkari program operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and is entirely financed by the central government.
• It is seamlessly integrated into the Reproductive Child Health (RCH) portal, ensuring efficient delivery and monitoring of services.

Key Features:

• Kilkari delivers 72 free, weekly, and time-relevant audio messages directly to the mobile phones of enrolled families.
• The program initiates message dissemination from the second trimester of pregnancy, extending until the child reaches one year of age.
• Women registered in the RCH portal receive additional weekly calls containing pre-recorded audio content tailored to their stage of pregnancy or child’s age.
• The messages are conveyed through the persona of Dr. Anita, a fictional doctor character, lending credibility and authority to the information disseminated.
• The program is operational in 18 States/Union Territories across India, reflecting its widespread reach and impact on maternal and child health.

About Mobile Academy

• The Mobile Academy serves as a platform for delivering audio training courses designed to enhance the knowledge and communication skills of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs).
• It facilitates anytime, anywhere learning, allowing thousands of ASHAs to undergo training simultaneously via their mobile phones.
• ASHAs can access the training content conveniently, irrespective of their location or working hours.
• The course materials are available in six languages, namely Hindi, Bhojpuri, Oriya, Assamese, Bengali, and Telugu, catering to the linguistic diversity of the ASHA workforce.
• The Mobile Academy is currently operational in 17 States/Union Territories, excluding Chandigarh, demonstrating its extensive coverage and effectiveness in capacity building among ASHAs.