Our partnership with Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Ministry of Health to protect mothers and newborns in Eswatini

The Problem

It goes without saying – any maternal, neonatal or child death is one too many. The maternal mortality rate in Eswatini is currently 452 deaths per 100,000 against the UN Sustainable Development Goal of 70 or less, or compared with 13 per 100,000 in high income countries. Neonatal mortality is also unacceptably high, 20 deaths per 1,000 births against the UN Sustainable Development Goal of 12 or less. Too many mothers and their newborns aren’t getting the required eight Antenatal Care (ANC) and four Postnatal Care (PNC) contacts due to the walking distance to facilities, lack of health workers and inadequate care in the community.

Eswatini also has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world, with about 25.9% of its population living with HIV. Significant progress has been made in preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV with >98% of mothers on ART² in Eswatini. However, stronger smarter Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) systems are needed to sustain MTCT progress – particularly given the significant reduction in testing due to the USAID funding cuts in 2025.

The Solution

Spirit Health Foundation and Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation have partnered to support the Ministry of Health to deliver innovative maternal health services in underserved communities in Eswatini, enabling Rural Health Motivators and Health Centres through the Clinitouch platform to protect and save the lives of mothers and their babies.

Spirit Health Foundation’s in-kind funding of unlimited Clinitouch licenses and a range of solution design, clinical, technical, and capacity building services enabled the development of new smarter maternal, newborn and child health services – initially focused in Shiselweni region.

Rural Health Motivators are equipped with Clinitouch on one simple, offline app on smart phones to register pregnancies for the first facility check-up, provide health promotion, and deliver Antenatal and Postnatal Care monitoring through clinical questionnaires and supporting tools – all in mothers’ households or at easy-to-access community locations.

Designed by leading doctors and using smart algorithms, Clinitouch generates a risk score based on the data, which midwives, nurses or specialists can remotely monitor at facilities and take early action to address risks, prevent pregnancy complications and ultimately save the lives of mothers and their babies. This could be prompt treatment at a facility, lifestyle changes or referrals to specialists.