Smartphone app aids midwives in Kyrgyzstan

Dilara Safarova knows she can rely on the Safe Delivery application when faced with a complicated delivery. “The app provides evidence-based content, in line with WHO recommendations, on a range of topics, including active management of labour, postpartum haemorrhage and emergency first aid for newborns,” she explains.

The pocket-sized digital reference tool, launched in Kyrgyzstan in May 2019, provides Dilara and qualified midwives like her with guidance to deal with various situations in their practice, improving health outcomes. It is free of charge and can be accessed without an internet connection, making it especially useful for those working in remote areas. The app is available in multiple languages, including Kyrgyz and Russian, and tailored to local cultural and working environments, greatly facilitating adoption.

The Safe Delivery App was developed by the Maternity Foundation in Denmark, in partnership with the University of Copenhagen and the University of Southern Denmark, and adapted to the Kyrgyz context in close collaboration with the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health, the Kyrgyz Association of Midwives, and the German federal enterprise for international cooperation (GIZ). It is in use in more than 40 countries.