Union Government launches IAP HealthPhone programme

Union Government has launched IAP HealthPhone programme, world’s largest digital mass education programme to address malnutrition in women and children.
It was launched by Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi in New Delhi. This programme is initiative of Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) in partnership with

• Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD).
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
• Supported by Vodafone India.

It should be noted that Bolloywood Actor Aamir Khan is support partner and brand ambassador of this programme.
Facts about IAP HealthPhone programme

• IAP HealthPhone aims to tackle the challenge of malnutrition in mothers and children across India.
• It is a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative that seeks to educate over 6 million girls and women between 13 and 35 years of age and their families on better health and nutrition practices by 2018 by leveraging penetration of mobile phones in the country.
• It will promote and distribute four re-edited videos from the Poshan (nutritional videos) series in 18 Indian languages, which are jointly produced by Union Ministry WCD and UNICEF.
• These videos addressed issues of status of women, care of pregnant women and children, breastfeeding. It also seeks to spread awareness and importance of balanced diet, health and simple changes in nutritional care practices to enhance nutritional levels.
• Vodafone India will encourage the viewing of the four videos by enabling its customers to view/download them for free. It will also provide its users with incentive talk time of Rs.10 on viewing the 4 videos.
• It will also send around 300 million awareness text messages to its subscribers every year to promote the viewing of the four videos.
• Vodafone India will also help for comprehensive communication campaign to promote the programme across the country via print and social media.

The three-year intensive awareness campaign under IAP HealthPhone programme is expected to benefit to improve health of around 60 million children born by 2025 in India and also play important transformative role in India’s fight against malnutrition.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2015