Technology, Politics and Values - Essay Example

Technology, Politics and Values MDG and technological artifact Following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2000 at the Millennium Summit, the United Nations (UN) came up with eight global development goals that are commonly known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As of 2015, all the U.N member states have been committed to attain the MGD. Among them is the MDG 5, which is to improve maternal health. In particular, the maternal mortality ration needs to be reduced by three quarters as well as global access to reproductive health (United Nations, 2010). However, to attain this goal, technological innovation and implementation is required. One such technology is the use of mobile phones. How the technological artifact meets the MDG Even though the maternal mortality is very high, most deaths can be avoided. The use of mobile technology has been used to improve maternal health. An estimated 367,000 women die every year because of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. However, in the last decade, the number of women dying from the complications is reducing, 546,000 in 1990 and 301,400 in 2010 (United Nations, 2010). The mobile industry has grown rapidly creating 11 million jobs as well as generating $3.4 trillion in global revenues. The use smartphones, 3G and 4G networks, and tablets have transformed communication, especially in the medical care industry. Mobile devices have changed the way in which medical care is provided. The mobile devices through the use of wireless technology have improved efficiency and effectiveness of the maternal health care. They have brought the required medical expertise to frontline medical professionals, tracked the spread of diseases affecting mothers and children, systematized compilation of information related to patients, and improved diagnosis and treatment of diseases (West, 2015). The women can have general access to information during pregnancy and childbirth. Information from mobile phones empowers the women to claim their rights in addition to protecting their health and that of their unborn child. Considering that according to statistics most of the maternal health problems are prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa and rural Asia due to complications of pregnancy and birth. In South Africa, more than 4,000 mothers die each year because of pregnancy related complications (West, 2015). In spite of most South African women living in poverty, mobile technology is providing the women with access to maternal health information that is life saving. The women receive text messages every week about the development of their babies. The messages are also sent in different ethnic languages apart from the English language in order to enhance understandability of the content. Some of these mothers have low literacy levels. The women are provided with stage based information, such as reminders on when to visit the clinic. As for those HIV-infected women, they are informed of proper infant feeding practices and getting their infants tested for HIV. The new and expectant mothers through various programs such as the WAHA International in conjunction with UNICEF in Senegal are providing new simcards where they receive messages and contact the local health professionals for maternal health consultations. The messages are tailored depending on the needs of the mothers. Other innovative mobile programs in developing nations include the Text4Baby and Mobile Midwife which deliver calls to pregnant women every week about their fetal health. Considering that 40% of the maternal deaths are attributed to placenta complications that may be discovered via ultrasound, the Mobile Ultrasound Patrol program in Morocco makes use of portable ultrasound machines along with 3G network to enhance the diagnostic times for expectant mothers. How the implementation of the technology artifact is influenced by politics The implementation of the use of mobile devices to improve maternal health is influenced by politics. As cited by Winner (2009), technical systems are interrelated to the conditions of modern politics. The mobile phone is invariably associated with certain ways of organizing power as well as authority. Political partnership with medical providers improves the delivery of maternal healthcare by use mobile phone technology. In 2014, a study by Chen, Lo, Wei, Xu, and Zhang illustrated that political interactions in interpersonal networks tend to enhance participatory behavior. Therefore, political systems that promote the use of mobile phones also encourage people to use mobile phones to enhance maternal health. Most of the developing nations where the maternal mortality is very high (99%) (United Nations, 2010), the countries have very poor infrastructure to support the mobile phone technology. This is attributed to high levels of corruption and political instability to attract investors in the mobile industry. It is equally important to note that these nations have a rigid hierarchical chain of command that closes nearly all the effects that can make the working of the mobile phone unpredictable. Besides, every country has its regulations regarding the use of mobile phones. Some of these rules make it hard for the mothers to acquire and use mobile phone services. For instance, in Malawi, the cost of receiving text messages is very high making the mothers not subscribe to the service. The use mobile phone technology is strongly compatible with democratic political arrangements. In dictatorial regimes, the mobile phone owners are judicious about their use so as not to attract the attention of the police. In nations such as North Korea, the government has banned the public use of wireless technology such as the Internet and mobile phones. It means that the women in North Korea cannot benefit from the advancements in mobile phone technology in a bid to improve maternal health across the globe. How the use of mobile phones to improve health integrates the world Maternal health can be prevented globally by means of mobile phone technology. There is a rapid increase in mobile phone users worldwide. According to the global Internet Report, there are 4.88 billion users of mobile phones. The number is projected to increase to 5.3 billion by 2017. This implies that across the globe, the number of women who would be able to access maternal health services is also projected to increase. The mobile phones provide a flexible approach to maternal health care. The whole world could benefit from reduced maternal mortality as a result of improved medical technology. The other global benefit of mobile technology is that it could extend to workplace efficiency by reducing unproductive travel time, improve decision making, and improve logistics. The technology is also important for social development. The mobile devices such as smartphones and light-weight computer devices would empower patients because they would not be required to not only visit and get clinical advise from the local physicians, but also medical experts across the world through e-mails, text messages, and automated phone calls. In other words, the clinical advice could be global. Therefore, the use of mobile phones plays a crucial role in globalization. References Chen, Y., Lo, V., Wei, R., Xu, X., & Zhang, G. (2014). A Comparative Study of the Relationship Between Mobile Phone Use and Social Capital Among College Students in Shanghai and Taipei. International Journal of Journalism and Mass Communication , 1 (105), 1-9. Winner, L. Do Artifacts have Politics? United Nations. (2010). Millennium Development Goals: At a Glance. Geneva: United Nations Department of Public Information. West, D. (2015). Using mobile technology to improve maternal health and fight Ebola: A case study of mobile innovation in Nigeria. Biotechnology Innovation , 12, 1-19. Winner, L. (2009). Do Artifacts Have Politics? JSTOR , 109 (1), 121-136. Read More