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Video highlights critical role of satellite connectivity

A quick-thinking health worker saved the life of a baby born at a Nigerian clinic involved in an Inmarsat satellite connectivity healthcare project.

Agatha Emeka from Onikokodiya, a remote village in Ondo State, had gone to the clinic to have her third child, having already attended ante-natal sessions there.

She explained: “As I got into the theatre and gave birth, I became weak. I looked at my baby, I realised she could not breathe properly. I prayed and I wished my baby would not die.”

Training video

Unsure what action to take, health worker Joseph Omosola grabbed a tablet provided by project partner InStrat Global Health Solutions and called up a training video on neonatal resuscitation produced by Medical Aids Films. He and his colleagues followed the on-screen instructions and got the baby breathing again within minutes.

“We were so excited because it was successful,” said Joseph.

Agatha’s story features in this video produced by Devex, the media platform for the global development community, to highlight the role of satellite connectivity in remote healthcare in Nigeria.

Data capture

Under the UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme (IPP), we are supplying BGAN connectivity at 75 health clinics with no 3G access. This allows health workers like Joseph to access training videos, and patients like Agatha to see educational films such as advice on breastfeeding.

The two-year project is also enabling vital health information to be captured and supporting faster response to disease outbreaks through monitoring. The aim is to create a model that can be extended to other parts of Nigeria, strengthening the country’s healthcare system.