On the 8th of October, the Perisur Foundation and Health[e]Foundation presented the new LUCY smartphone maternity app to the Minister of Public Health in Suriname, Amar Ramadhin. The pregnancy app is designed to provide Surinamese women with useful information about their pregnancy and the first year of their baby’s life. This will help women become more confident and informed in the care of their baby. The LUCY app was downloaded by more than 500 Surinamese women in the testing phase and is now available for free in the Google Play store and iOS App store.
The app was developed as part of the Care in the Hand (‘Zorg in de Hand’) project, which is funded by the twinning facility Suriname Netherlands. This project aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Suriname.
The importance of the LUCY app is significant for Surinamese women, says Ashna Hindori-Mohangoo, project leader of the Perisur Foundation: ‘Pregnant women and mothers in Suriname often lack information about their pregnancy or the first year of their baby’s life. This can lead to serious health complications. The LUCY app increases the knowledge of pregnant women and mothers of newborns. “
Thanks to the LUCY app, the women are well informed about the course of their pregnancy and about the growth of their baby. The app sends weekly messages with information about, among other things, the development of the baby, possible causes for alarm during pregnancy and how to act, reminders for prenatal or postnatal visits, information about vaccinations, hygiene, and healthy food. The app is unique because it is specially developed for Surinamese women.
At the launch, the minister got the chance to download the LUCY app himself on his smartphone. The minister underlined the importance of the LUCY app in reducing maternal and child mortality in Suriname. As a doctor, he knows that pregnant women are always looking for information about a healthy pregnancy. He is expressed his happiness that there is now a Surinamese app that specifically targets Surinamese women. The minister promised that he would further promote the LUCY maternity app.
One of the first users of the LUCY pregnancy app is Wandana Narain. She told the minister that she was just pregnant when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in Suriname. Visiting the GP was not a good option, so she started looking for information herself. She then downloaded the LUCY app and since then she has been looking forward to the information that she receives from the app every week. She has since given birth to a son who is now 6 weeks old. She now uses the LUCY app to learn about her baby’s growth.
The app contributes to the health of (pregnant) women and newborns in close cooperation with health workers and is therefore also recommended by several midwives. The app is available to anyone with an Android or iPhone smartphone. Pregnant women or women with babies up to one year can easily download the app from the App store or Play store by searching LUCY Health[e]Foundation and downloading the app.