An artificial intelligence-powered text messaging service named PROMPTS is operating across 24 Kenyan counties to help reduce maternal mortality by answering pregnancy and newborn care questions via basic SMS, according to Jacaranda Health.
A Lifeline on Basic Mobile Phones
The tool addresses a critical need in a country where approximately 6,000 women die annually from childbirth or pregnancy-related causes, with nearly a third of those deaths linked to delays in seeking medical attention.
Surging Demand Sparks Technological Shift
The system originated from an automated appointment reminder program established by a network of clinics in Kenya. When patients began replying to the automated messages with health queries—asking whether specific symptoms like swelling and headaches were normal or if foods like avocados were safe to eat—question volumes surged. According to Jay Patel, director of technology for Jacaranda Health, message volume grew from fewer than 100 per day at launch to 15,000 daily.
Algorithmic Triage and Human Oversight
To manage the high volume of inquiries, developers built a program utilizing artificial intelligence to analyze patient messages, prioritize them, and identify users requiring immediate medical intervention. The service functions entirely over SMS on basic mobile phones, operating at no cost to the user and requiring no internet connection or smartphone.
Approximately 7% of incoming messages are flagged by the system as potentially urgent. According to Patel, these flagged messages bypass the standard AI workflow and route directly into a dedicated queue for human nurses. Clinicians can review the user’s message history immediately and initiate a direct phone call.
Multilingual Reach Across African Nations
The platform processes messages in English, Swahili, and Sheng—a hybrid dialect popular in Nairobi—while Jacaranda Health has also deployed adapted versions for speakers of Twi and Hausa in parts of Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
Transforming Maternal Healthcare Dynamics
Lisa Mushega, a policy expert for the health care provider coalition HENNET, states that the system helps eliminate dangerous delays in care by establishing a direct communication line to health professionals. Mushega notes that patients have used the messaging tool to correctly identify early warning signs of pre-eclampsia, a severe condition marked by swollen legs, and to recognize newborn jaundice requiring facility-based care.
Smisha Agarwal, director of global digital health at Johns Hopkins University, points out that traditional public health communication relies on one-sided messaging via billboards or public service announcements controlled entirely by health authorities. By shifting the conversation to center on user inquiries delivered privately via personal mobile phones, the model alters traditional information dynamics in maternal healthcare.