Three Innovations to Serve Mom’s Needs in Digital Era

The changing lifestyle of people nowadays has brought about the research and development that can serve the needs of modern-day mothers. However, available products and services seem too costly for most moms to afford.

It would be ideal if moms can have free innovative services or one-time-payment services which allow them to use the service with no extra cost.

Realizing such needs of the moms, the National Innovation Agency (Public Organization) or NIA has thus supported three innovative businesses that are designed to serve the needs of modern mothers.

• “MALI”, a mobile application for pregnant women, guaranteed by medical experts in pediatrics and gynecology.

“MALI” mobile application project is design to provide essential knowledge and information that can serve the needs of pregnant women. The information is clearly classified in an easy-to- read and easy-to-understand format. The application contains basic information about the pregnancy care be they nutrition, fitness, symptoms that would occur in each stage during pregnancy, general advice, medical advice during pregnancy as well as information about the policies and relevant laws and regulations that enable pregnant women to equally access the benefits and welfare available for them.  All the medical advice and knowledge will be guaranteed by medical experts in pediatrics and gynecology, so users can be ensured that the information is from reliable sources.

The application contains two versions of information: free version and premium version. The free version is for general public and it generates income from advertising. The premium version adds medical advice from experts from private hospitals which are the project’s partners. At present, MALI application project is in the testing process and set to be officially launched during the Mother’s Day.

• “Plee Preme”, banana blossom and ginger tablet to stimulate breast milk.

Plee Pleem Co Ltd saw the opportunity in developing nutritional product made from banana blossom and ginger to help stimulate breast milk. The product is available in tablet form which will be convenient for moms to intake. The company has joined with the Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University to conduct research on the outcome breast milk of mothers who intake banana blossom mixed with ginger powder. The research found out that the product can really stimulate breast milk and does not have any negative effect on mother and child. They also joined with Maejo University to develop the product using spray dry and micro-encapsulation technique to extend to expiration date and control the result of essential substance. In addition, the product has been developed to make it easy to intake, tasty, as easy for consumers to get the products.

• “OCARE” , health check-up delivery service direct to home and offices.

It is essential for pregnant women, postnatal mothers, or mothers with grown-up kids to take good care of their health at all time. OCARE provides health check-up delivery services direct to home and officer, to help mothers save time in commuting to or waiting at hospital. The service conveniently brings doctors to provide health check-up for mothers at their convenient location. Health record can be obtained through online channel immediately or within 24 hours. The health check-up packages are available as annual health check-up program that cover symptoms such as cancer, diabetes, or some abnormal symptoms. The working procedure starts right after service users buy health check-up packages on the website. After that, there will be a team of professional nurses, medical technicians, and doctors go to visit them either at home or offices and collect samples of blood, urine or others depending on the chosen packages. Then, they will provide health check-up activities which will take less than 30 minutes. Therefore, the service can help save time and shorten health check-up processes while also get result immediately. It is such an interesting solution that is believe to stimulate Thai people to pay more attention in having their health checked.

Dr. Pun-Arj Chairatana, Executive Director of the National Innovation Agency (Public Organization) or NIA said the service and healthcare sectors are considered social innovation businesses which are increasingly popular among consumers, especially food, health and fitness equipment, and medical equipment and services for modern moms.  NIA has implemented healthcare innovation project under the framework of development and innovations to help minimize the gap in accessing to healthcare products and services in the future.  Besides, the more development of innovative products and services that can serve social needs, the better growth of the economy as innovations can solve peoples’ problems and enable them to have a better quality of life.