Mobile marketing blog

SMS is being used as part of a new initiative to improve the supply of anti-malarial drugs in Tanzania's most remote regions. The 'SMS for Life' combines SMS campaigns with complex website tracking systems to monitor and distribute the medicine.

IBM and Vodafone visited various Tanzanian health institutions and decided to test the scheme over a 5 month period. 135 villages and over a million people benefited from the MatSoft system which sends automated SMS alerts prompting them to check drugs supplies on a weekly basis.

Peter Ward from IBM was quoted as saying "This is an example of a truly innovative solution helping solve a humanitarian problem." He went on to reveal "After spending time on the ground, we created a project plan, developed the application with Vodafone and Novartis and established the best way to deliver the pilot, working with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health. We expect other countries will also be able to benefit in the future."