The verdict in three sentences
A midwife telemedicine app brings prenatal follow-up closer to women in Touba, Thies and Kolda, where there is one midwife per 8,000 women. It sets the consultation at 3,500 FCFA (versus 8,000 FCFA in Dakar), collects via Wave with payout under 2 hours, and tracks the 8 prenatal consultations recommended by the WHO. The 2025 pilot on 1,240 women showed 34% fewer complications thanks to automatic alerts (hypertension, anemia < 8 g/dL).
Why rural prenatal care needs digital tools
In peripheral areas, distance and cost cause women to skip critical consultations. A woman who misses her third-trimester visit will not detect pre-eclampsia or severe anemia in time. The app reverses the logic: the midwife follows up remotely by video or audio, triggers a physical visit only when a warning sign appears, and keeps the full history on the patient's phone.
| Indicator | Without app (2025) | With app (pilot) |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation cost | 8,000 FCFA (Dakar) | 3,500 FCFA |
| Prenatal consultations completed | 4.1 / 8 | 6.8 / 8 |
| Hypertension detection delay | 9 days | < 24 h |
| Delivery complications | baseline | -34% |
| Midwife payout | 5-7 days | < 2 h (Wave) |
| Women followed (pilot) | — | 1,240 |
The modules that make the difference
The core of the app is the digital prenatal record: weight, blood pressure, uterine height, hemoglobin level. Each entry runs through a rules engine. Pressure >= 140/90 -> hypertension alert. Hb < 8 g/dL -> severe anemia alert with iron-folate protocol. This is no gadget: it follows the WHO schedule and notifies the patient by SMS 48 hours before each appointment.
| Function | 2026 detail | Built-in cost |
|---|---|---|
| Video/audio teleconsultation | 3G compression, 1.5 MB/min | included |
| Digital prenatal record | 8 WHO visits tracked | included |
| Clinical alerts | hypertension, anemia, preterm labor | included |
| Wave payment | payout < 2 h | 1% fee |
| SMS reminder | 48 h before appointment | 12 FCFA/SMS |
| District dashboard | coverage per post | included |
Mini case study
Coumba, a midwife at the Ndande health post (Thies region), followed 90 pregnancies a month in person, about 45 women out of 8,000 in her area. With the app she adds 70 teleconsultations at 3,500 FCFA, that is 245,000 FCFA collected via Wave, paid out within 2 hours. After the share returned to the post (30%), she keeps 171,500 FCFA of extra monthly income while covering 2.5 times more women. Two cases of pre-eclampsia detected in time over three months.
FAQ
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How much does it cost to set up the app for a health post?
A basic deployment runs around 350,000 to 600,000 FCFA depending on modules, plus a maintenance subscription of 25,000 to 50,000 FCFA/month. The pilot reached break-even in under two months thanks to teleconsultation volume.
Does Wave payment work even on a weak 3G connection?
Yes. The Wave payment module is built for slow networks: the payment session weighs under 200 KB and the payout to the midwife arrives in under 2 hours, versus 5 to 7 days with a traditional banking circuit.
Is patient medical data protected?
Data is encrypted and hosted in line with Senegal's law 2008-12 on personal data. Every access is logged, and the patient retains control of her prenatal record.
Can a single midwife handle more patients without burning out?
Yes, because teleconsultation removes unnecessary travel. The pilot shows follow-up capacity multiplied by 2.5, with the midwife focusing on at-risk cases flagged by automatic alerts.
Can the app connect to the health district?
A district dashboard shows prenatal coverage per health post, helping the chief medical officer steer resources and target under-covered areas.
Let's talk about your project. We design your prenatal telemedicine app tailored to health posts and Wave payment. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
