Use of mobile technology by health care providers to strengthen service delivery in rural Uttar Pradesh

India could be distinguished for having the largest working mobile sets in the world and yet increasing at the fasted rate in the world. It is estimated that almost 100 percent family in the urban sector has mobile and almost 45 percent in rural areas. The spread of mobile has brought out many economic and social dividends including in the health sector. The present paper provides insight on how mobile phone in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh is being used by the health care providers to improve and strengthen service delivery. Data has been collected from about 600 community health workers ( public and private ) spread over 200 villages from 12 districts using both quantitative(600 interview ) and qualitative (30 in-depth interview) approaches. The results demonstrate that mobile phone is being used for strengthening of service delivery by improving supervision (among ICDS staff) and coverage of pregnant women for ANC and institutional delivery by identifying pregnant women using net work among ANM, AWW and ASHA or timely alerting to PHC staff about arrival of women in delivery pain or families contacting providers for care and services. While all these points to the use of mobile technology, it is all natural and not planned. The paper high lights what is already happening and how it could be formally mainstreamed to get best out of the emerging mobile technology